


Truth Begins In Lies

by Hughville, Pyewacket75



Category: House M.D.
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gun Violence, Homelessness, Hurt/Comfort, Resolved Sexual Tension, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-12 18:48:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 29,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13553409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hughville/pseuds/Hughville, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyewacket75/pseuds/Pyewacket75
Summary: Allison Cameron, homeless and sick, goes to the PPTH clinic.  There she meets House who takes her in and helps her deal with her dead husband's debts and the dangerous people he associated with.Set prior to Season One.Props to the always amazing Pyewacket75 for being my writing partner and always making me laugh.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> We don't own House. We certainly don't make money from this. However, the OCs belong to us.

A cold wind sent brightly colored leaves swirling down the sidewalk.  The hospital seemed to be carved into the intense blue of the sky.  Allison Cameron shivered and pulled her oversized, threadbare coat tightly around her.  She looked at all the people going in and out of the doors of Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.  A cough worked its way up from the depths of her chest.  She released her coat and put her hands, covered in worn wool gloves, over her mouth.  Bending over, she felt her chest tighten with each forceful expulsion of air and tried to turn away.  Her head throbbed and a cold sweat trickled down her back.  She suspected she had pneumonia.  When the coughing subsided, she gathered the little amount of strength she had left and slowly made her way inside.  

The lobby of the hospital was warm but she shivered.  Looking around, she saw the clinic on her right.  She reached up and pulled her tattered watch cap down over her forehead and tried to smooth the tangled mass of blonde hair that hung over her shoulders and down her back.  Straightening up as much as she could, she walked into the clinic and stopped at the desk.  A dark haired nurse looked up from a pile of charts.  She looked Allison up and down.  Allison was used to such looks of derision.

“Name?” the nurse asked in a bored tone.

“Allison Cameron.”  Her voice came out as a raspy croak.

“What brings you in?”

“Fever, shortness of breath, severe cough with green sputum, weakness, elevated heart rate and diaphoresis.” 

The nurse looked up at her in shock.  Allison looked back at her wearily.  “I wasn’t always homeless,” she wheezed.  “I have a medical degree.”

Standing, the nurse picked up a blank chart.  “Come with me,” she said.

Allison followed her to an exam room.  The nurse, who introduced herself as Brenda, helped Allison out of her clothes and into a soft hospital gown.  Quickly and efficiently, Brenda took her vitals and wrote them on the chart.  She raised the back of the exam table slightly and put a pillow down.  Allison sank back and Brenda put a blanket over her.  She smoothed back Allison’s hair and smiled slightly.  

“I’ll go get you some clean socks and a blanket from the warmer,” she said.  Gathering up Allison’s clothes, she walked to the door.   “Be right back.”

Allison pulled the blanket up, rolled onto her side and curled up in a ball.  She was on the verge of sleep when Brenda returned with a warm blanket and socks.  After she put the socks on Allison and tucked the warm blanket around her, she left.  Within minutes, Allison was sound asleep.

***

Doctor Gregory House leaned on his cane as the elevator descended to the lobby.  He faced an eternity in the Ninth Circle of Hell also known as clinic duty.  He couldn’t pawn his hours off on any of his minions since the Dean of Medicine, Doctor Lisa Cuddy, temporarily assigned them to other departments to cover for employees who were off for Thanksgiving.  He limped across the lobby and entered the clinic.  Every seat was filled and some people even leaned against the walls.  House rolled his eyes and made his way over to the front desk.  Nurse Bitch looked up at him.

“You’re late,” Brenda informed him shoving a file across the counter.  “Allison Cameron, room two, possible case of pneumonia.”

House grimaced at her and picked up the file.  He saw his best friend, Doctor James Wilson, exit an exam room.   House limped over to him and tried to shove the chart into his hand.  Wilson pushed it back.

“Can’t, House,” he said as he walked away.

House grumbled and opened the door to exam room two.  He wrinkled his nose slightly at the sharp odor of an unwashed body.  A tangled mass of blonde hair spread over a pillow and there was a small lump beneath two blankets.

House flipped open the chart and pulled a stool over to the lump of hair on the bed.  

“I’m Doctor House,” he said loudly.  “And you have pneumonia.”

The blanket lowered and House found himself looking into two blue-green eyes set in a slightly dirty but incredibly beautiful face.  An incredibly beautiful fever flushed face.  Her eyes glittered slightly.

“I know,” she said in a voice that sounded like she ate nothing but gravel.  “I need some penicillin and a prescription cough suppressant.”

“Are you a doctor?” House asked acerbically.

“I was.”

He lowered his brows as he looked at her.  She looked away.  He slapped the chart closed.

“I’m admitting you,” he told her.  “You need chest x-rays, blood tests and a CT scan.”  He lifted the blanket.  “You can’t go back on the mean streets of Princeton in a hospital gown and floppy socks.”

Allison closed her eyes and nodded.

House went back out and gave instructions to Brenda. 

“Where did she come from?” he asked as he leaned against the counter and idly rubbed his right thigh.

Brenda shrugged. “Judging from the smell of her, I’d say under a highway passover or thereabouts. I’ll have one of the nurses give her a shower before they take her upstairs. It’s sad what happens to some people, isn’t it?”   
“Yeah. Makes you wonder. She hasn’t lost her ability to diagnose herself. When you don’t practice for awhile, you forget things.”

“She doesn’t seem to. She rattled off her symptoms like she did that kind of thing every day.”

“Did she have any ID on her?” House asked as he leaned against the desk.

“She had a little silk bag in the pocket of her coat.  I put it in the hospital safe for her so she can have it when she’s released.”

Doctor Lisa Cuddy walked up to them.  Brenda smiled thinly and turned away.

“You’re supposed to be treating patients not holding up the counter,” she told House.

“Well, if I don’t do it, who will?” he asked with feigned innocence.

“Get back to work,” she told him.

“Can’t.”

She folded her arms and tossed back her hair.  “Better be good.”

“Just admitted a patient.  Could be pneumonia, could be something else.  Can’t let her die, can I?” 

Cuddy narrowed her eyes.

“You took my team,” House reminded her.  He widened his eyes.  “If I don’t treat her…”

“Fine,” Cuddy sighed.  “I’ll send Chase to check on your new patient so you can finish your clinic hours.”  She turned on her heel and walked away.

Brenda rolled her chair back and began to hum the Wicked Witch theme from  _ The Wizard Of Oz _ .

House grabbed a file.  “That makes you her flying monkey, you know.”


	2. Chapter 2

After a long shower and a thorough delousing, Allison was clean and settled in a bed upstairs where she waited for someone to come see her. She expected the good looking older man she saw in the clinic, but what she got instead was a young, blonde, blue-eyed doctor with an Australian accent and perfect white teeth.

_ Jesus, are all the doctors in this place good looking?  _ she thought to herself as he looked over her chart and then smiled at her. 

He saw her when she was admitted and whisked away to be cleaned up per House’s orders and she looked like a ragamuffin. So he had a better look at her. She was beautiful. Her long blonde hair was braided and it lay like a silk rope over her shoulder.  There were dark circles under her eyes and she was pale but her eyes shifted between green and blue.  He felt an immediate attraction to her.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Chase,” he told her shifting his weight and glancing around the room.  “I work for Dr. House in Diagnostic medicine.”

“Allison Cameron,” she rasped before she launched into a coughing fit. Chase poured her a glass of water and quickly took out his stethoscope to listen to her lungs. 

“I’m going to take you down to x-ray. I don’t like the sound of your lungs.” He left the room and returned with a wheelchair. Allison was still coughing, but had grabbed a tissue. When she pulled it away from her mouth, there was a generous amount of green pus.

“Ah crap,” Chase said as he took the tissue and put it in a sample cup. “How long have you been like this?”   
“A few weeks,” she sighed, clearly out of breath. Her ribs hurt from coughing so hard and she couldn’t stop shivering.

“Are you cold?” Chase asked as he grabbed a blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her.

“Yes. Thanks.”

“We won’t be long in x-ray.  Then I’ll bring you back and get you comfortable.”

“You’re very kind. Thanks, Dr. Chase,” she wheezed.

After her x-ray, Chase returned Allison to her room, gave her a round of antibiotics, a cough suppressant and made sure she was comfortable before leaving her in the care of the nurse on duty.

***

“You’re an idiot,” House hissed at Chase. “She has a pleural effusion and her lungs are filled with God knows what. And you felt she was okay so you went home.”

“She was fine, stable and comfortable...”   
“She has pneumonia! She is most certainly not fine and you were supposed to stay and monitor her. Not pawn her off on the nurses.  Did you even read her chart?  Cast those pretty eyes over my notes??”

Chase didn’t have anything to say at that point, and couldn’t, as House was already limping away.  He drug his feet as he followed.

Allison slowly awoke when she heard movement in her room, and opened one eye when she noticed the handsome older doctor from the clinic checking her pulse.

“Good. You’re awake.”

“I’m cold,” she shivered. He took out a thermometer and placed it in her mouth for a few moments before checking it. 

“You have a fever. I’ll get you something for that. As you suspected, you have pneumonia, and a pleural effusion. We’re going to need to drain the fluid from your lungs. We can put you out or just give you a local. Which do you want?”   
“Put me out, please,” she croaked. “I know how painful that is.”

“Alright. I’ll be back later with Dr. Chase.”

A nurse entered a few minutes later with several IV bags.  She inserted an IV port in the back of Allison’s right hand and then hooked up the bags. She unraided Allison’s hair and ran a brush through it. Lifting her head, the nurse put an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth.  Soon Allison floated away as the medication worked its way through her system.  Once she was out, the nurse inserted a catheter and hooked the bag on the side of the bed. 

House and Chase entered after the nurse left.

“Hold her up,” House instructed.

Chase pulled on a pair of surgical gloves then lifted Allison up and supported her head.  Her hair fell over his arm and he fought the urge to stroke it.

House also put on a pair of surgical gloves, opened the back of her hospital gown and frowned.  “Jesus, she’s like a skeleton.  Did you weigh her?”

Chase looked at him and then away.

“You are useless,” House ground out as he swabbed Allison’s back.  He picked up a large bore needle and carefully inserted it between two of her ribs.  As he began to drain the fluid, he looked at her back.  “Did you do a thorough physical exam like I ordered?”

“The nurses bathed her and removed all the lice,” Chase told him quietly.  “They even combed all the bugs and eggs from her hair and braided it.  Looks like someone brushed it today.”

House grunted and pulled the full syringe out.  He tossed it on a tray and snapped off his gloves.  

“Well, how wonderful for her that she’s clean and someone brushed her hair.  Go home and don’t come back until I call you.  I have to decide whether or not to fire you,” he told Chase as he pulled on another pair of gloves.

Chase swallowed, laid Allison down on her bed, and pulled the blankets up over her.  Slowly he walked out of the room.

House flipped back the blankets and moved to the end of the bed.  

“Hey!” he shouted.  “Someone bring me a pen light!”

“You bellowed?” Wilson asked as he came in.  He handed his pen light to House.  “You can’t fire Chase.”

House ignored him and began to examine Allison’s toes and feet.  He moved up her legs shining the penlight over her skin.  He lifted the hem of her gown.

House quickly did a cursory vaginal exam.  

“No sign of sexual assault,” he commented as he pushed her gown up higher and rolled her on her side.  

Wilson picked up her chart and began making notations.  

“She’s got bite marks on her lower back,” House told him.  “Look like rat bites.  We should test her for hantavirus.  I want an LP, blood cultures, CBC, chem 7, electrolytes, urinalysis, bone scan...oh, hell, let’s test her for everything.  We have no idea how long she’s been homeless.  She used to be a doctor.”

Wilson wrote rapidly on the chart.  “Is that why you’re so interested in her?”

“Oh, don’t start,” House sighed as he rolled her onto her back and shone the light in her mouth.  “She has some sores in her mouth.”

“She’s beautiful,” Wilson commented.  “She’s smart if she was a doctor.  And she’s trapped here.  Just your kind of woman.”

“Pupils are equal and reactive,” House said.  He ran his fingers through her silky hair as he examined her scalp.  “She’s got lice bites, too.  Damn.  How does a doctor end up on the streets?”

“I take it that’s a rhetorical question?” Wilson asked as he put the chart on the end of the bed.

House pulled the covers up over her and adjusted her oxygen mask.  He pulled his gloves off and tossed them on the tray with the needle and the other pair of gloves.  

“Have a nurse come in here and clean up.  I’ll be back.”

Wilson sighed and watched him limp away.  Walking over to Allison, he reached out and smoothed her hair.  

“You’re lucky,” he whispered.  “House doesn’t usually care this much about someone he just met.”

House returned thirty minutes later with a stack of medical journals.  Entering Allison’s room, he was relieved to see that it was clean and she was still out.  He sat down in the chair beside her bed and began to read.

***

Allison awoke slowly.  She could breathe easily and didn’t feel an overwhelming need to cough.  She was warm and comfortable.  She also needed to pee.  Slowly she pushed the covers back and sat up.  Looking down, she saw the catheter tube.  With a sigh, she drew the covers back up and laid back down.

A nurse entered.  She smiled when she saw the Allison was awake.  Allison smiled back.

“Good morning!” the nurse chirped happily.  She was tiny with long black hair, large brown eyes and freckles across her nose.  “I’m Lucy.  Doctor House said you can have clear liquids.  You’ve been out for a week and he doesn’t want to overload your system.  We’ve been feeding you through a nasal tube but he took that out last night.  You must be pretty special for him to stay with you the whole time.  He’s downstairs talking to Doctor Cuddy but he’ll be back, don’t worry! Everything's going to be okay!”

Allison stared at her with wide eyes as she flitted about the room talking.  When she finished, Allison was sitting up, the room was tidy and the bed table was placed in front of her.  An orderly entered with a tray and Lucy took it from him.  She put it down on the table and uncovered everything.  There was hot tea and clear broth.  For the first time in a long time, Allison wasn’t starving.  She picked up the tea and sipped it.

“Thank you, Lucy.”

Lucy beamed at her.  Then she sobered.  

“Do you know Doctor House?  You know, from when you were a doctor?” she asked as she leaned in toward Allison.

Allison shook her head. 

“Was he the doctor I saw in the clinic?” she asked as she picked up the cup of broth and drank a bit.

Lucy nodded.  “He usually only takes cases other doctors give up on and he almost never sees his patients.  Everyone is talking about you two.”

Allison smiled faintly.

Lucy smiled again.  “Well, if you need anything the buzzer is right here,” she told her indicating a button on the enclosed rail of her bed.  “I’m days and Chuck is nights.  I’ll be in later to bathe you.”  

Before Allison could answer, she was gone.

***

House gripped his cane with both hands and stared at Cuddy who sat at her desk looking at him impassively.  

“She can’t go back on the streets.  She was a doctor.  She can get her license renewed if you let me work with her.  She can fulfill her CME requirements here.  You’ve done it before for other doctors!”

Cuddy leaned back and put her feet up on her desk.  Her skirt slid back revealing her thighs. 

“Why her?  Normally you don’t care about anyone except yourself.  Is it because she’s pretty?  Because she is very pretty,” she smirked.

“She diagnosed herself.  She’s an Immunologist.  I could use one on my team.  Jenkins is nearly at the end of his fellowship and wants to move to Texas.  Putting Cameron in his place would save me from having to interview anyone.”  House paused and tapped his chin.  “I’ve always wanted to do something more interesting when it comes to interviewing morons to work for me.  I could hire about forty and slowly whittle away at them until I find the one I like best.  I could find another guy and keep the sausage fest going.”

Cuddy narrowed her eyes.  “You wouldn’t dare.”

“How long have you know me?  I never dare.  I just do,” he said silkily with a slight smile.

Cuddy stared at him for several minutes.  House waited.  Then she sighed.  He tried not to smile in triumph and failed.

“Fine,” she said.  “Allison Cameron can work with you.  But you have to document her hours and make sure meets all the requirements.”

House turned and started to leave.

“Where is she going to live?” Cuddy asked as he put his hand on the door handle.  “I’m not paying her a stipend for an apartment and living expenses.”

House opened the door and looked over his shoulder.  “Oh, you let me worry about that.  You just make sure she gets paid a normal salary.”  He limped out and left the door wide open.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pyewacket75 is going on vacation so I will resume posting when she returns. :D

When House came into Allison’s room later that day, her eyes and nose were red, like she’d been crying. She quickly grabbed a kleenex and blew her nose when she saw him.  
“What’s going on?” he asked her as he grabbed her chart and looked it over. “About time you woke up. We’ve started calling you Sleeping Beauty around here.”  
She smiled weakly but it was purely for his benefit.  
“You’re getting out of here soon,” he commented as he hooked her chart on the end of her bed.  
That just brought on a new set of tears and House was at a loss for what to say. Normally this news made people happy. Then he remembered his plan. She clearly thought she was going back out on the streets.  
“Okay, enough of that,” he sighed as he grabbed the nearby chair and sat down.  
“I....have...I have nowhere to go,” she sniffed.   
“That’s where you’re wrong.”  
She paused and looked at him with narrowed eyes. “What? Don’t tell me, you got me admitted into some shelter somewhere? Thanks, Dr. House, but no thanks. I don’t want to worry about being raped in the bathroom. If it’s all the same to you, I’ll go back to my little spot.”  
House made a face. “No, you’re not going to a shelter. You’re going to my place.”  
She snorted a laugh. “Riiiight. So I can cook and clean for you, too?”  
“Can you cook?”  
“Sort of. But that’s a moot point, isn’t it? If you think I’m going to stay at your place and be your personal slave just because I’m grateful you got me off the streets, then you’re sorely mistaken.”  
“Is that what you think?” he asked, cocking his head as he looked at her.  
“You have some other brilliant plan up your sleeve?” she sniffed.  
“As a matter of fact, yes. I thought I’d help you renew your medical license. I need another doctor on my Diagnostic team and I can use an Immunologist. You can get everything done here at this hospital.”  
“And in return…”  
“If you want to cook, I’m not gonna stop you. I love to eat, but I already have someone who comes in once a week to clean. My couch is comfortable to sleep on and it’s a hell of a lot better than any cardboard box you were living in. So that’s the plan. Think about it and let me know. You’ll probably be released tomorrow so you have till then to decide.”  
He got up, grabbed his cane and limped out of the room. Allison watched him as he slowly made his way to the elevator. Once he was out of sight, she burst into tears again. Lucy came in and handed her another tissue.  
“I heard he offered to have you stay with him,” Lucy said as Allison wiped her eyes and blew her nose again. “He’s never done that before. He’s actually nice to you and he hasn’t yelled at any of us since...well, since after you were admitted. He’s slept by your bed every night and spent most of the day in here while you were in your medically induced coma.”  
Allison could tell Lucy wanted to find out more but obviously the fear of Doctor House was greater than any curiosity.  
“You want to try some soft foods for dinner?” Lucy asked instead. “House said you can try some and see how you do. You’re really malnourished but he doesn’t want to overload your system.”  
“Some oatmeal and pudding would be good,” Allison smiled. There was a guilelessness about Lucy that she found charming and endearing. “Do you work with Doctor House?”  
Lucy looked at her with wide eyes. “Gosh, no! Not if I can help it. He hates nurses.”  
“Who monitors his patients?”  
“Well, he only treats one patient at a time and his team does everything. We only come in if the patient crashes. If Doctor Cuddy hadn’t assigned his team members to other departments to cover the holiday, we wouldn’t even be allowed in here with you.” Lucy fluffed her pillows and smiled. “I’ll go put your dinner order in.”  
Allison leaned back and thought about everything Doctor House and Lucy told her. She didn’t have anywhere to go. She wasn’t going to a shelter again. The lure of being able to practice medicine again was strong. She gnawed on her lip. Walking away from an opportunity like this was crazy. She buzzed for Lucy to come back in and asked to see Doctor House.  
He arrived in her room just as she finished her pudding. “Yes or no?” he asked.  
“Yes,” she told him. “But I’m not sleeping with you. Ever. Are we clear?”  
He looked at her appraisingly. “As crystal,” he told her.  
***  
Allison was released three days later. House, as he preferred to be called, wanted her eating and keeping down solid food. Lucy brought her clean sweats, a hoodie, a wool coat, watch cap, thick socks, sneakers, new underwear, a heavy wool scarf and mittens. Once Allison was dressed, Lucy took her House’s office. He looked up when they entered and waved his hand at Lucy who nearly ran out of the room. Standing, he picked up his coat and pulled it on. He put on a grey watch cap, gloves and picked up his cane.  
“Come on,” he told her as he limped past her.   
Allison stood where she was biting her lip.  
House stopped in the hallway and turned back to look at her. “That means put one foot in front of the other and propel yourself in a forward motion.”  
“I had a silk bag…”  
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled it out. He tossed it to her and she caught it. She opened it and looked inside. A sigh escaped her. Everything was still there.  
“May we go now?” House asked with exaggerated politeness.   
Allison followed him to the elevator and across the hospital lobby. He limped outside and down the sidewalk to a blue Dodge Dynasty parked in a handicapped spot. Fishing out his keys, he opened the door, got in and unlocked the passenger door. Allison opened it and slid onto the front seat. She fastened her seat belt as he started the car. They drove in silence to a nice part of Princeton. He parked in front of a large brick building. He got out and walked up to a green door. She got out and followed him inside to another green door. She waited while he collected his mail and unlocked the door. Once in, he shed his coat, hat and gloves, leaving them in a heap on a chair by the front door. Allison moved into the living room and looked around at her new, temporary home. A piano took up most of the space in front of the window. There was a fireplace, black leather couch, bookcases, a television and a coffee table. To her right was a hallway and she saw a bathroom at the end of it.  
House tossed his mail on a desk against the back wall of the living room.  
“We have to share a bathroom.” he told her. “But both doors lock.”  
She nodded.  
“Wilson is coming later to watch a game. He’s...well, he’s Wilson,” he told her. “Don’t get attached to him. He feeds off neediness and you are radiating it like a beacon.”  
Allison opened her mouth to respond but he held up his hand. “Tomorrow we’ll go get you some clothes to wear. We’ll work out a payment plan since I don’t give anything away for free. You can’t work for me wearing sweats. You look like a twelve year old boy in them.”  
“You’re rude!” she blurted out.  
He smiled widely displaying dimples. “It’s all part of my charm. Now take your damn coat off and sit down.” When she didn’t move, he sighed. “Look, I’m not a nice guy. I’m going to piss you off. You’re going to piss me off. But at least you aren’t on the street. So, take off your coat and get comfortable.”  
She removed her coat, scarf, hat and gloves. As she piled them on top of House’s, the door opened and she found herself face to face with a tall, dark haired man wearing an expensive camel colored overcoat, a dark blue sweater, jeans and cross trainers carrying several plastic bags in one hand. He smiled and closed the door. He had heavy, dark brows over kind brown eyes.  
“You must be Allison,” he said. “I’m James.”  
“He’s Wilson,” House called out from the kitchen. “Don’t try to seduce her. She’s here to work for me not flirt with you.”  
“Charming, isn’t he?” Wilson grimaced. “Let me put this in the kitchen. Do you like Chinese food? I got you some egg drop soup and noodles. Figured your stomach could handle that.”  
Allison nodded, smiled shyly and moved to sit on the couch. She could hear their lowered voices as they talked in the kitchen but couldn’t make out what they said.  
***  
“You cannot let her live here!” Wilson whispered. He ran his hand over his hair. “God, she's gorgeous.”  
“She is just staying here until she saves enough money to get a decent apartment. She’s just what the team needs,” House said quietly as he dug through the bags of food.   
“Are you sure she’s not what you need?”  
“Positive,” House told him softly as he pulled out the container of Mu Shoo Pork. “You’re always telling me to get a hobby. She’s my hobby.”  
“Oh, this is going to end badly,” Wilson sighed.  
“Not if you keep your mouth shut,” House responded before walking out to the living room. “Bring the food and a couple beers. There’s bottled water for Cameron.”  
“My name is Allison,” she told him.  
House sat down next to her and put his feet up on the coffee table. “Not anymore,” he told her. “You’re Cameron. Get used to it.”  
Wilson brought in the rest of the food and handed her a bottle of water. He smiled at her with sympathy before stepping over House’s legs and sitting down. Soon they were all eating and watching television. For the first time in a long time, Allison was full and warm. Before she knew it, she was sound asleep with her head resting on House’s shoulder.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back!! 
> 
> We still don't own House or make any money from this.

After the game ended, House sat staring straight ahead.  Wilson craned his neck to see around him and bit back a laugh.

“This is not funny,” House hissed.  “Help me!”

Wilson leaned back, crossed his arms and got more comfortable.  “She’s your hobby.  Figure it out.”

Allison made a slight purring sound and nuzzled House’s neck as she got more comfortable.  House turned to look at Wilson with wide, panicked eyes.  Wilson snickered and got up.  He nudged House’s legs and House put his feet on the floor.  Carefully, Wilson bent down and picked up Allison.

“Go get some sheets, blankets and a pillow,” he whispered to House.

House got up and returned a few minutes later with the bedding.  Dropping the bedding, he grabbed his right leg.  Pain shot up from his damaged right thigh.

“Sit down on the coffee table,” Wilson told him concern softening his voice.  Once House was seated, he started to put Allison back down on the couch.

“Give her to me,” House commanded as he dug his bottle of Vicodin out of his pocket.  He snapped the top off, dumped two pills in his hand and dry swallowed them.  Then he held out his arms.  Wilson transferred Allison to him.  Once House was holding her, she burrowed into his chest and sighed in her sleep.  Wilson quickly put the sheets and blankets on the couch before dropping the pillow on it.  Turning to House, he took Allison from his arms and carefully laid her on the couch.  She immediately curled up on her side and Wilson drew the covers up over her.  Then he stood back and the two men looked at her.

“You are in so much trouble with this one,” Wilson whispered.

House didn’t say anything.  He simply rubbed his high and watched her sleep.

***

Allison awoke the next morning disoriented and frightened.  Sitting up, she clutched the blankets to her chest and looked around.  She relaxed as it all came flooding back.  She was in House’s apartment and she was safe.  Getting up, she quietly made her way down the hall to the bathroom.  She closed and locked the door leading to the hallway.  Once she peed, she flushed and went to the sink.  She was washing her hands when a door to her right opened.  House stood in the doorway.  His hair was tousled from sleep and he squinted at her.  He wore a white t-shirt, striped sleep pants and his feet were bare.  Allison looked away and quickly dried her hands.  She got out of the bathroom as swiftly as possible and went to sit on the couch.  A few minutes later House came out into the living room.  He still looked half-asleep as he tossed a wad of bills on her lap.

“You make coffee?” he rumbled.

“No, sorry,” Allison told him.

“Huh,” he grunted.  “Go buy us breakfast.  There’s a little food mart at the end of the block.  Get bagels.  The good kind and plenty of coffee.”  He turned and started to limp away.  “I’ll take you shopping after breakfast.”  Then he was gone.  

Allison smoothed out the bills, folded them and tucked them in her pocket.  Then she bundled up and left.

The small market was almost empty when she arrived.  She wasn’t sure what the ‘good bagels’ were but she went to the small bakery at the back of the store and asked for half a dozen assorted bagels.  Then she got cream cheese, milk, eggs, bacon and coffee.  Once she paid for it all, she carefully tucked the change in her pocket and walked back to House’s apartment.  A light snow began to fall as she entered the building.  Once in the apartment, she carried the bag of food into the kitchen and put it all away.  She pulled the change from her pocket and laid it on the butcher block island in the center of the small kitchen.  She went back out into the living room and took off her coat, hat and gloves.  She laid them neatly over the back of the chair in front of the desk.  She could hear the shower running in the bathroom.  Looking around, she saw a stereo system on a bookshelf next to the desk.  Curiosity won out over fear, and she began to flip through the albums.  House had a diverse collection of music.  She pulled an album out and carefully put it on the turntable.  The sound of Leadbelly singing  _ Daddy I’m Coming Back To You _ filled the apartment.  She moved over to the bookshelf and looked over the books. She pulled David J. Dabbs’  Diagnostic Immunohistochemistry: Theranostic and Genomic Applications from the shelf and went to the couch.  Within minutes she was so engrossed in the book, she didn’t hear House enter the living room.  She didn’t look up until she smelled the tantalizing scent of coffee and and bagels toasting.  House moved around the kitchen.  His hair was damp and he wore a red t-shirt, jeans and cross trainers.  His cane hung on the island.  She closed the book and quickly folded the bedding and placed it on the curved lounger in front of the bookshelf.  Then she went to stand in the doorway of the kitchen.

“What can I do to help?” she asked.

House pointed to a cabinet.  “Plates,” he told her.  “And mugs.”

Cameron gathered everything and took it out to the living room.  She set two places on the coffee table.  She went back into the kitchen, got milk, sugar, and the cream cheese.  Nudging House aside, she got the coffee pot and found a hot pad.  She took it out to the living room and came back with their plates.  He put the bagels on a plate, grabbed his cane and limped out to the couch.Sitting on the edge of the couch, she poured out the coffee and spread her bagel with cream cheese. 

“So what kind of clothes do you wear for every day? And what did you wear when you worked?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Business casual at work and jeans and T-shirts every other time? It’s been so long since I’ve gone shopping I don’t really know.”   
“That’s why I invited Wilson to come with us. He has a black belt in shopping. In fact, maybe I should just stay home and leave you two to it.”   
Allison looked a little nervous about that so House relented. “Okay, then again maybe not.”

“I’d like your input, House,” she said. “Since I’ll be working for you, I want to fit in and get the right things.”

“Sweetie, you could wear a burlap sack and still be beautiful.”

She blinked. That seemed like high praise coming from House and she didn’t know what to say. The sound of a key in the lock caused her to look fearfully at the door.

“Relax, it’s just Wilson. He has a key.”

“He just comes and goes as he pleases?” she asked.   
“Only when he’s expected. Like today.”

Wilson entered wearing the same coat but this time he wore a grey McGill sweatshirt and jeans.  He walked over to the record player, turned it off and then crossed to the couch.

“Hey!” House protested.  “You just turned off Leadbelly!”

“Aren’t we buying Allison a whole new wardrobe?” Wilson asked as he sat down on the couch.

“Yeah, but you don’t just turn off Leadbelly in the middle of a song.”

“Maybe Allison doesn’t like that kind of music,” Wilson told him with a smile at her.

“I put it on,” she told him with a shrug.  “I love blues music.”

Wilson looked pointedly at House who shrugged.  “She’s got good taste,” House said as he crammed half of his bagel in his mouth.

“Should we make a list of what you’ll need?” Wilson asked Allison.  

House rolled his eyes but Wilson got up and grabbed paper and a pen.  He handed them to her and then went into the kitchen.

Soon, they all finished breakfast and Allison had a short list of things she’d need.  House snatched it out of her hand then tore it in half.

“You need a whole new wardrobe not a handful of clothes,” he told her.

“A whole new wardrobe is expensive and...we still haven’t made up a payment plan.  If I buy too much, it will take me forever to pay you back,” she told him.

He could see the worry in her eyes.  He blew out a breath.  “You can pay me back by dealing with my mail and other crap that builds up in the office.  That’s worth more to me that any amount of money I spend on you today.  Deal?”

She looked at Wilson who nodded.  “He’s years behind on charts, billing and correspondence.  If you can get him up to date on all that, he’ll owe you since you’ll get Cuddy off his back.”

House stood and grabbed his cane.  “Deal?” he asked again.

“Deal,” Allison agreed solemnly.


	5. Chapter 5

In the end, Allison allowed House to buy her enough clothes for work and off days to last two weeks. He also sent her into Walgreens to buy all the “girlie” stuff she’d need. Wilson helped her carry all the bags into the apartment and she left the two of them on the couch while she went to wash all her new clothes. While she was washing clothes, she slipped into House’s bedroom and gathered up all his dirty clothes. She put everything for him on his bed and left her clothes folded on the dryer and hanging from the pole in the corner of the tiny laundry room. She went out to the living room and cleared her throat.  
“What?” House asked without taking his eyes off the television.  
“Where should I put my clothes?” she asked.  
House and Wilson exchanged a look. Clearly this wasn’t something House took into consideration. House sighed and pushed himself up off the couch. He turned Allison around and took her arm. He led her to his bedroom. He looked at the neat piles of clean clothes on his bed and went to the dresser that sat against the wall. He opened one of the drawers. It was empty.   
“Put your stuff in here. Anything that needs to be hung up can go in the armoire. I’ll make myself scarce when you need to change,” he told her.  
“I can put your clothes away if you’ll show me where they go,” she said.  
“Just cram them in the drawers.”  
She nodded and he limped back out to the living room. Living with him was going to be interesting.  
***  
On Monday morning, Allison woke early, showered, dressed and then sat on the couch reading a medical journal waiting for House to appear. Around ten, she heard the water running in the bathroom. She got up and began to prepare breakfast. She opted for scrambled eggs, bacon and toast since those were things she knew how to make. She didn’t dare touch the coffee maker since she never managed to learn to make decent tasting coffee.   
House shuffled down the hall in a black t-shirt with a yellow skull and blue snakes on it along with jeans and black and grey Nikes. His hair was still tousled from sleep and he stopped in the doorway of the kitchen and squinted at her.  
“Good morning,” she said quietly as she scooped eggs onto two plates.  
He grunted and limped over to the coffee maker. A few minutes later, the smell of coffee mingled with the smell of bacon and House was sprawled on the couch, eating like he’d never been given food before. Allison ate more slowly, savoring the warm food. As House got up to get the coffee, he pilfered a piece of bacon from her plate and shoved it in his mouth. He returned with two mugs of hot coffee which he set on the coffee table. Then he went back into the kitchen and set the rest of the bacon and toast down beside the mugs.  
“Eat,” he told her as he lowered himself down onto the couch. He picked up his coffee sipped it and watched her out of the corner of his eye.  
She took another slice of toast and three more strips of bacon. She looked at him questioningly.   
“What time are we supposed to be at work?” she asked as she picked up her mug. House had added plenty of cream and sugar to her coffee. She sipped it and watched him.  
“I’m the department head so whenever I feel like it,” he told her. “We don’t have a patient now that you’re somewhat healthy again.” He grabbed two pieces of bacon off the plate and ate them. “Besides, today will be spent getting all your useless paperwork filled out so you can officially work for me. Have you got an ID?”  
She nodded.  
“Great,” he responded. He put his mug on the table and got up. He limped past her and disappeared down the hallway. Allison gathered up all the dishes and carried them into the kitchen. She was halfway through washing everything up when House appeared again.  
“What are you doing?” he asked with a slight edge of irritation edging his voice.  
She swallowed and turned to look at him. “Cleaning up.” She saw he wore a grey suit jacket over his t-shirt and leaned on his cane.  
“Fine,” he sighed and went to sit on the couch.  
She finished the dishes, left them in the drying rack and went out to the living room. She saw House holding her silk bag. She darted forward and snatched it from him. Clutching it against her chest, she looked at him with wide eyes.  
“If you don’t want me to look in it,” he remarked as he stood up, “don’t leave it lying around where I can find it. Now, let’s go.”  
Allison shoved the bag into the pocket of her pants and went to get her coat.  
***  
It took about two hours for Allison to fill out all the paperwork, get her hospital ID and her radiation monitor. She was also given a plain white lab coat which she folded carefully over her arm. When she came out of the HR offices, she saw House sitting on a couch, arms braced on his knees, twirling his cane.  
“Finally,” he grunted as he got up. “Let’s go get something to eat. Wilson’s waiting for us.”  
They went down to the cafeteria where Wilson waited. He smiled when he saw Allison.  
“Welcome to Princeton Plainsboro,” he said. He wore a lab coat, grey wool trousers, a crisp white shirt and a red and grey striped tie.  
“Thanks,” Allison replied with a smile. Then she stopped. “I don’t have any money.”  
“Neither do I,” House said as he pushed her forward. “That’s why we keep Wilson around.”  
House grabbed a tray and began loading it up with food. Wilson smiled at Allison.  
“Get whatever you want,” he told her with a smile.  
“I’ll pay you back,” she told him.  
Wilson put his hand on her arm. “You don’t have to pay me back.”  
“I’m not going to sleep with you,” she whispered as she looked away.  
His eyebrows drew together. “I don’t expect you to do that. Did someone else?”  
House appeared at her elbow. “Food, now. I’m hungry,” he told her with a hard look at Wilson. He grabbed a tray and slapped it down in front of her. He put her hands on the edges of the tray and moved her along the line as he tossed food onto it. Wilson watched her with concern. Something happened to her and he intended to find out what it was so he could get her the help she needed.  
After lunch, House took her upstairs to the Diagnostic’s offices. They didn’t enter his office but instead went into the large brightly lit room where three men sat at a glass table. Allison hung back at the sight of them until House sighed loudly and pulled her into the room.  
“This is Cameron,” he said. He pointed to Chase. “You already met Chase. And no, she isn’t going to go out with you; any of you.” He pointed to a man with dark hair and brown eyes. “That’s Henderson.” He pointed to a balding man with bright green eyes who smiled at her. “That’s Jenkins. Stop smiling at her, Jenkins. She’s here to work and learn, not fulfill your sad little fantasies. Now, git. All of you. Find me a patient.”   
They all rose from the table and left.  
House pointed to a desk next to the wall. It was piled with letters, papers and files. Several boxes rested on the floor around it. “That’s your desk. Get to work,” he told her. Then he limped into his office and soon she heard music.  
She sat down and began to sort everything into piles. If living with House was interesting, working for him might turn out to be sheer hell.


	6. Chapter 6

Cameron settled into a routine at home and at work. Each morning she got up, dressed and made breakfast. At work, she practiced procedures, worked through the piles of paperwork on her desk and sat in on differentials. She liked those the best. They were like trying to put puzzle pieces together. The more she learned about the process, the more she loved it. She even stopped thinking of herself as Allison. She was rather relieved to leave Allison behind. That part of her life held too many bad memories. Her life as Cameron was much better.  
On the last day of the month, House took Cameron to the bank to open up a checking and savings account with her first paycheck. She tried to sign it over to him but he refused and so her check was deposited. She ordered checks and would receive her debit card in a few weeks. When she attempted to withdraw one hundred dollars, House sighed loudly and pulled her from the bank.  
“Maybe I wanted it to pay for my lunch,” she told him as he nudged her out to the car.   
He opened the passenger door and waited for her to get in before shutting it. Once he was in the car and they were driving away, he sighed again.  
“If you need money, I will give it to you. Besides, Wilson pays for lunch and you do all the food shopping for us. You’ve even gotten pretty good at cooking. You haven’t poisoned me yet. So, stop worrying about money. You’re supposed to save it, remember? You do enough around the apartment that I’ve been able to give my cleaning lady a vacation.”  
“I hope vacation doesn’t mean fired,” Cameron said.  
“You think I’m the only one she works for?” he asked with a slight laugh. “She’s glad not to have to deal with my _desorden_.”  
“Okay, I’ll save my money and take care of you and your mess at home and at work.”  
“You speak Spanish?” he asked with a quick glance at her.  
“Enough. And I pay for the food with your money which Wilson says is a miracle.”  
House laughed. “Wilson lies.”  
“He says you never spend money and the fact you spend it on me makes him think you like me,” she said softly.  
“Pfft. Wilson always thinks everyone has an ulterior motive.” He parked in front of the apartment. “I look at you as an investment. You do grunt work without complaint. You don’t annoy me and you’ll be a good addition to the team once you get your license back.”  
Cameron got out and walked up to the outer door. She opened it and unlocked the apartment door. Leaving it open for House, she walked back to the bedroom to hang up her things. She took a pair of jeans and a t-shirt along with some thick socks out of her drawer. As she changed clothes, she could hear House as he moved around the kitchen. She gathered up a load of dirty clothes and put them in the washer then went to the kitchen. House was sitting on the couch with a beer going through the mail. Cameron looked in the refrigerator and pulled out two hamburger patties wrapped in plastic. As she opened the freezer, House appeared beside her making her jump slightly.  
“Who’s Joe Franklin?” he asked holding up an envelope.  
All the color drained out of Cameron’s face and she felt her heart begin to hammer in her chest. He’d found her. She snatched the envelope from House’s hand and took it over to the stove. She turned on the burner and held the paper to the flame then tossed the it into the sink running water over it to douse the flame.  
“No one,” she told him.   
Brushing past him, she got a bag of onion rings out of the freezer and turned on the oven.  
House walked over to the sink and pulled the blackened sodden mess out of it. “You don’t react that way to no one,” he commented. He leaned back against the counter still holding the remains of the envelope. “Are you in some kind of trouble? Is some lunatic going to come in here guns blazing and take us out?”  
She grabbed a baking tray and spread some of the onion rings on it. “No,” she said. _I hope not_ , she thought. After she shoved the tray in the oven and set the timer, she got a skillet and put it on the stove. As House watched her, she turned on the burner and put the hamburgers in the pan. Once they began to sizzle, she went back to the refrigerator and pulled out the makings of a salad.  
“Is he an old boyfriend?” House asked.  
She shook her head and turned the hamburgers over.  
“Ex-husband?”  
She shook her head again.  
He tossed the burned mess in the trash and walked up to stand behind her. She could feel the heat radiating off him.  
“You’ll tell me sooner or later,” he whispered against her ear. The feel of his breath against her skin made her shiver. He ran his finger down the curve of her neck. “Remember, I like my onion rings well-done.”  
Then he was gone and she could breathe again. He was right, though. Sooner or later, he’d find out everything about her. She didn’t relish the thought of going on the run again but she also didn’t want to put him in harm’s way, either. She’d just have to intercept the next letter. If there was a next letter and Joe didn’t send one of his employees next time.  
***  
“She’s hiding something,” House said to Wilson while they had lunch the next day.  
“What?”  
“I don’t know but she got some suspicious mail and when I asked her about it she looked like she’d seen a ghost and then burned the freakin’ letter right in front of me.”  
“What do you think it’s about?” Wilson asked.  
“If I knew, it wouldn’t be bugging me so much. She won’t tell me so it’s up to me to get to the bottom of it.”  
“Did it ever occur to you that she might not want you to know about whatever it is and that it’s none of your business?” At House’s glare, Wilson sighed. “Right, look who I’m talking to.”  
“I don’t know who this guy is but if she’s trying to hide him from me, it’s not going to happen. She’s so scared of him, she was visibly shaking when I brought it up. I want to know why.”  
“Maybe he was her pimp or something,” Wilson suggested remembering his conversation with her in the cafeteria.  
“Hey, don’t go there.”  
“Well she survived on the streets for so long somehow. She had to eat, get money, and she’s a pretty girl. Some sickos out there would be able to exploit that.”  
“You’re not helping,” House told him.  
“Sorry. You just need to accept that she might not be as innocent as you want her to be.”  
“I never said I thought she was innocent. She’s damaged, just like anyone else. She just needs help.”  
“It doesn’t hurt that she’s beautiful,” Wilson remarked.  
“She wasn’t when I first saw her. She was a hot mess.”  
“But you saw past that. The fact that she was a doctor who was living on the streets was intriguing so you couldn’t leave it alone. She’s a great puzzle. You’d never take on a patient with pneumonia. Please. You wouldn’t even take a patient with congenital hypothyroidism,” Wilson reminded him.  
“What’s your point, O Wishes He Was Wise One?”  
“My point is that you like her,” Wilson said with a pointed look at him. “A lot.”  
“So do you. Doesn’t mean anything. I’m helping her get her life together. She’s efficient, intelligent and great during the differentials. I’ll hire her when she gets her license reinstated.”  
“And Cuddy is okay with that?”  
“It was her suggestion. I need a female on my team and she’s a specialist. Cuddy’s taken her under her wing, which is may or may not be good. At least it gets her off my back.”  
“So what are you going to do about that guy?”  
“He’s out there somewhere. I’ll find him, or we’ll get lucky and he’ll come to me first. I don’t want Cameron alone though so thankfully she needs to be under supervision when in the clinic and for procedures so that’s covered,” House said.  
“You think he might be dangerous?”  
“Judging from her reaction that would be a definite yes.”  
“Well,” Wilson said as he got up and took his tray, “let me know if you need my help. I’ll do what I can.”  
House grunted his thanks.

Cameron was home before House was, having taken a cab to the apartment, and she was in the kitchen putting final touches on dinner when he came through the door. Her plan was to distract him with a good meal, so he wouldn’t bring up Joe Franklin again. It had been a week since she got the letter and all had been quiet. Since she didn’t read it, she had no idea what the letter even said. It was a stupid thing to do, granted, but she wasn’t going to let House look at it.  
“Something smells good,” he said as he tossed his jacket on the back of the couch and his keys on a side table.   
“It’s the steak.”  
“When’s it ready?”  
“Ten minutes.”  
“Okay.”  
He limped down the hall to his room, presumably to change clothes, and returned, going straight to the fridge for a beer. “So what’s all this?”  
“I just felt like making a steak. Is that a crime?” she snapped.  
“No. Geesh, who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?”   
“House!”  
“Well? Why are you so pissy? Oh, never mind, I forgot you’re on your cycle. Should I pour you some wine and toss chocolate at you?”  
Cameron took a deep breath and counted to ten, or tried to. The amused look on House’s face made her want to put her fist in it.  
“Or are you trying to keep me from asking about the mysterious Joe Franklin and his letter?”  
Cameron turned her back on him and she heard House move closer. She shivered when he gently moved her long hair to one side and traced the length of her neck.  
“That is why you’re doing all this, isn’t it?” he breathed and her eyes fluttered closed as his warm breath ghosted over her neck.   
She leaned into his touch when he threaded his fingers through her hair. “I Googled him and I know he’s a true Chicago mobster,” he said softly. “Oh, sorry alleged mobster. So, were you his moll?”  
Cameron jerked and moved away from him. She tossed fresh spinach into a hot pan and watched it wilt as she stirred it.  
“I was not his moll as you so charmingly put it,” she told him in a surprisingly steady voice.  
Before he could reply, someone knocked on the front door.


	7. Chapter 7

“Maybe that’s him or one of his goons come to break our kneecaps,” House joked as he moved toward the front door.  
“Don’t!”   
House turned to look at her. She was pale and shaking. The knocking sounded again.  
“You’re really scared of this guy, aren’t you?” he questioned softly.  
“I’ll see who it is,” she told him in a trembling voice. She swayed slightly as she walked carefully to the door. House watched her as she unlocked it, braced herself and opened it.  
A Fed Ex man stood in the hall holding a package.  
“Delivery for Greg House,” he told Cameron as he thrust a box at her. “Sign here.”  
Cameron took the box and signed for it. The young man nodded at her and left. Slowly, she closed the door and locked it. She turned to look at House.  
“Your Christmas present came earlier than I expected,” he told her. “You can open it if you want or drop it and faint. Whichever works best for you.”  
She shoved the box at him and fled to the kitchen.   
When he came in, she was taking the steaks from beneath the broiler and putting them on a plate to rest.  
“What did Franklin do to you?” he asked as he leaned in the doorway.  
“Nothing.”  
“You’re lying but I’m too hungry to grill you,” he said with a note of amusement in his voice.  
“Very funny,” she sighed.   
She plated their dinner and brought them out to the living room. House looked at what she prepared.   
“Plain spinach?” he groused. “Who eats plain spinach with a steak? It’s supposed to be loaded with butter and cream. A good steak dinner should clog our arteries.”  
She dumped the cutlery on the coffee table and sat down. She put a paper towel on his leg. “You don’t even like creamed spinach,” she commented as she put her beer next to her plate.   
House picked up his plate, knife and fork. Leaning back, he glanced at her. He wanted to ask her about Franklin but her obvious fear made him nervous. Not for himself but for her. He cut his steak and forked a large piece into his mouth. Maybe Wilson was right. Maybe he did like Cameron. He chewed and thought about that some more. Liking her as more than a puzzle was dangerous; not only for him but for her. He shoved some baked potato into his mouth. No, she was just an interesting puzzle. _Except she’s more than that_ , a little voice inside his head whispered.  
“Oh, shut up,” he muttered under his breath and turned his attention to his dinner and the hockey game on the television.  
When he finished, he took his plate and cutlery to the kitchen and put them in the sink while Cameron busied herself scrubbing the pots and pans.  
“Thanks,” she said as she continued to scrub vigorously, and then put the pot to the side. Without a word, House grabbed a dish towel and started drying.  
“You don’t have to do that.”  
He shrugged. “You cooked. Besides, the sooner the dishes get done, the sooner I can have dessert. Assuming there is dessert.”  
“Just ice cream.”  
“Ice cream is ice cream. Is there chocolate sauce?”  
She grinned slightly. “There might be.”  
“Cool.”  
“And I’m still not going to tell you about Joe Franklin.”  
“You don’t have to. I’ll find out for myself one way or the other.”  
She slammed the sponge down and turned to glare at him. “But why? Why do you have to know everything that is none of your damn business?”  
“Because I happen to care what happens to you, that’s why!” he shouted back at her. “You think I like watching you look over your shoulder all the damn time? It’s annoying and people are starting to talk, you know.”  
She blinked. “What? What are they saying?”  
“That you’re possibly schizo, and that’s why you were on the streets. Cause you’re batshit crazy, and a few other colorful epithets. That’s not going to help you get your medical license back.”  
“What am I supposed to do then, House? He knows where I am and it’s only a matter of time before he shows up here.”  
“Let me help you.”  
“Do what?” she asked in despair.  
“How the hell should I know? I’ve never had a mobster after me before!”  
“You’re not helping!”  
“Then tell me what you need me to do!”  
“I don’t know!” she shouted.  
She broke down in tears and turned away from him, sobbing quietly as her whole body shook.  
House didn’t know what to do, other than to get her to stop crying as soon as possible. Seeing nurses cry never bothered him but Cameron’s tears tore at him and he couldn’t stand it anymore. Sighing, he pulled her against him and let her sob all over his favorite band T-shirt.  
“I’m scared,” she said, barely in a whisper that he could hear.  
“Then let me help you,” he said as he awkwardly patted her back, unsure of what else to do.  
“I don’t know how you can.”  
“Let me worry about that,” he sighed.  
What could he do? How could he protect her? House wasn’t going to let some two-bit mobster scare her any longer, that much he was sure of.  
***  
The next morning as they left the apartment for work, a small grey car was parked across the street. A man with a camera slouched in the front seat and snapped pictures of House and Cameron as they got into his car and drove away. The man tossed the camera on the passenger seat, started the car, and did a U-turn. He stayed several car lengths behind the Dodge Dynasty but kept it in view. He parked so that he could see them as they got out and walked into the hospital. Once they were inside, he pulled out of the parking lot and drove away.  
He went to the shop where Joe Franklin worked, which was just a front for his real career, and went in. “Yo, boss. I got some good pics of her. She’s living with some older guy, a cripple.”  
“And….what else?” Joe sat behind his desk, sipping his coffee and whiskey as he listened with interest.  
“Looks like they work together at a hospital.”  
“Which one?”  
“Some teaching hospital in Princeton.”  
“Interesting. Who’s the old guy?” Joe took another sip.  
“I don’t know. You want I ask around?”  
“Yeah, do that.”  
“You got it, Boss,” the man said and quickly left.  
So, Allison was off the streets. That was good. Joe didn’t like the idea of her living like that. However, if she’d just done what he told her to do, she would be living in the lap of luxury with him as his pretty wife without a worry in the world. But no, she insisted on going to school to better herself.  
“Pfft,” Joe scoffed as he added more whiskey to his coffee. “Women got no place in medicine. It’s a man’s profession.” Didn’t he tell her that a hundred times? Of course, she would have none of it and still insisted on getting her degree.   
Still, he just couldn’t let go. He would need more information about the older guy before he decided on what his next step would be.


	8. Chapter 8

“I might need your help,” House told Wilson as they had lunch. “Can Cameron stay with you for a few days?”  
Wilson’s eyes widened. “What? Why?”  
“I don’t think it’s all that safe at my place right now.”  
“I barely know her!” Wilson protested. “And what is my wife going to think if I bring someone like her home?”  
“Just explain to her that Cameron needs to place to stay for a few days.”  
“So, I just bring Cameron home, who is gorgeous in case you forgot, and tell Julie she needs a place to stay? What is going on, House?”  
House reached into his suit pocket and pulled out an envelope. He opened it and spilled several pictures out onto the table. Wilson picked one up and then looked at House with wide eyes.  
“That’s...you...there’s …” Wilson sputtered.   
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. There’s a red X through my face in all the pictures,” House sighed. “I think they’re from Joe Franklin.”  
“The same Joe Franklin who scared Cameron so badly she burned his letter? The same Joe Franklin who is an alleged mobster?” Wilson asked with round eyes.  
“Yes, the alleged mobster Joe Frank,in who somehow knows our little homeless waif.”  
“You have to go to the police,” Wilson told him firmly as he tossed the picture back on the table.  
“And tell them what?” House asked with exasperation. “Someone who may or may not be Joe Franklin sent me some pictures?” He sighed and put the pictures back in the envelope. “At first, I thought you sent these. They were in a package I got. I told Cameron it was her Christmas present.”  
“Why would I do something like that??” Wilson said loudly.  
Several people turned to look at them.  
“Keep your voice down!” House hissed. He rubbed his thumb across his forehead. “Well, if you won’t take Cameron in, I’ll just have to figure something else out. Maybe Cuddy…”  
“Does Cameron know about those?” Wilson asked in a soft voice.  
“No.”  
Wilson shook his head. “Only you could take in someone mixed up with a mobster.”  
House smiled slightly. “I’m talented that way.”  
***  
Cameron was working her way through House’s mail when she came across an envelope with no return address. It was probably junk mail but she opened it anyway. She stopped breathing when she pulled out a single sheet of paper and a photograph fell onto House’s desk. The letter was from Joe. This meant he knew where she lived and worked.   
_Ally Cat,  
You’ve been a naughty little kitten. But I’m willing to forgive you and pay your debt if you come back. I’m still willing to marry you and give you a comfortable life.  
It would be a shame if that world famous Doctor House had an accident and couldn’t save anyone any more patients. Don’t you agree?  
Come home. Steve says all will be forgiven.   
Love,  
Joe_  
Cameron crumbled up the letter and looked down at the photo. It was of her and House walking out of the apartment to his car. She closed her eyes. That meant Joe was no longer in Chicago. He was somewhere in New Jersey. How could she have been so stupid as to think he would leave her alone? She’d been so naive to think if she left everything behind, he wouldn’t follow her.   
“What’s that?” House asked.  
Cameron jumped in the chair. She tried to grab the photo but House was quicker. He picked it up, glanced at it and tossed it on the desk. He held out his hand. Cameron slumped and handed him the crumbled letter. He read over it and then motioned for her to get up. Slowly she rose and moved to one side. House sat down and pulled the brown folded envelope out of his pocket. Opening it, he pulled out several pictures and handed them to her. With shaking hands, she took them. A gasp escaped her when she saw that they were all of her with House and there were red Xs over House’s face in all of them.  
“These were in the package I got the other day. You said he wasn’t your boyfriend,” House remarked calmly. “What do you owe him?”  
Cameron shook her head and ran out of his office. House sighed and picked up the phone. Within minutes, a security guard brought her back into his office. Her face was pale and set.  
“Sit,” House commanded.  
Slowly, Cameron moved to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk. He could see that she was scared. A part of him wanted to comfort her and another part of him wanted to beat the shit out of Joe Franklin.  
“Talk. Tell me how you got mixed up with a mobster.”  
She hung her head. “I got married when I was twenty-one. His name was Ryan Cobb. He had thyroid cancer that metastasized to his brain. Ryan also had a gambling addiction. I didn’t know about it until he died. I also didn’t know that his best friend, Joe Franklin, was a bookie with ties to the mob.” She laughed a little. The was a hysterical edge to it. “He didn’t want me to go to medical school. He said if I married him, he’d pay Ryan’s debt,” she said as she looked down at her hands. “I almost did it, too. He was so good to me when Ryan was in the hospital. Then I found out the truth about him after Ryan’s funeral. Joe’s boss came to visit me with two men. He wanted all the money Ryan owed him.” Tears slid down her cheeks. “He owed over a million dollars. They beat me up but I got him to agree to a payment plan.” She laughed again and wiped her nose. “I worked three jobs while I was in medical school. I barely made a dent in that debt. Steve, he’s Joe’s boss, kept adding on more interest. I tried to get a job after I finished my residency but Joe made it impossible. So I ran and ended up here.” She shook her head and wiped her eyes. “I’ll leave. You’ve been so helpful but I can’t let them hurt you. I won’t.”  
She stood up.  
“Sit down,” House told her. “You aren’t going anywhere. We’ll figure this out.”  
Cameron sat down. “How?” she asked.  
He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. “I don't know yet,” he told her. “For now, just go back to work and let me think.”  
Cameron got up and left. House grabbed his giant tennis ball and began to throw it in the air. There had to be a way out of this.  
At the end of the day, when House was ready to go home, Cameron was nowhere to be found. House looked all over the hospital. Finally, he went home. All her clothes were still there. Only her coat, hat, scarf and mittens were missing along with her messenger bag. He looked all over the apartment and found a note tacked to the refrigerator.  
 _House,  
Thank you for everything you did for me.   
Cameron_  
“Dammit!” he growled as he slammed his fist against the refrigerator. He walked over to the phone and called the bank. He knew her password and punched it in. The pleasant automated voice informed him that Cameron had a zero balance. He slammed the phone down. She was running again and he had to find her before Joe Franklin did.  
***  
Cameron got on the bus and chose a seat in the back. She hugged her messenger bag close and looked out the window. With a hiss and a squeal of the brakes, the bus pulled out of the terminal. _It’s better this way_ , she convinced herself. _I never should have let House take me in. I not only put him in danger, but I fell in love with him._ Knowing him as she did, she was certain he would never love her. She settled back in her seat and pulled her hat down so that it nearly covered her eyes. Looking straight ahead, she left Princeton and House behind. Curling up in the corner of her seat, she began to cry.


	9. Chapter 9

“Know any private investigators?” House inquired as he ignored Cuddy’s administrative assistant and sauntered into her office.  
She looked at him like he was crazy. “No, why the hell would you think I did?”  
“Oh please. You have a savings account set up to bail us out when I royally screw up, so why wouldn’t you have a team of investigators on retainer?”  
“Well, I don’t. What do you need a P.I. for, anyway?”  
“Cameron’s gone.”  
Cuddy rose from her desk. “What do you mean, gone? As in... she quit?”  
“That’s one way of putting it. Another way might be saying she disappeared into the night.”  
“Why? What did you do, House!?”  
“Why do you assume it’s something I did?” House asked with an exaggerated pout.  
“Because it usually is! Why would she leave?”  
“Someone’s after her. She ran away to protect me but she’s not safe, either. I need to find her before they do.”  
“Who’s they?” she asked suspiciously as she sat back down at her desk.  
“Some people from her past.”  
“What kind of people?”   
Her eyes narrowed and House rolled his eyes. He tapped his cane and looked down at the floor.   
“Alleged mobster type people.”  
“Jesus, House!” she shouted leaning toward him. “You brought in someone with ties to the mob??”  
“ _Alleged_ mob ties,” he clarified. He folded his hands on the head of his cane. “So, where on we on the PI?”  
Cuddy shook her head. “I am not helping you find someone with _alleged_ mob ties,” she informed with with a sharp emphasis on the word alleged. She waved her hand at him. “Ask someone else or use the yellow pages.”  
House moved around her desk to lean over her. She pulled back slightly at the intense look in his eyes. “You better hope nothing happens to her.”   
Cuddy watched him stalk out of her office. Shaking her head, she went back to work.  
***  
After an hour of making calls, House found an investigator by the name of Lucas Douglas who came highly recommended. He showed up at House’s office an hour later and was not the image of a PI that House had in mind. He looked kind of goofy, but if he was good, House didn’t care.  
He gave Lucas all the information on Cameron that he had, which wasn’t a lot, and sent the man on his way.  
The next day, Lucas returned carrying a manilla folder and dropped it on House’s desk. “She’s going to Miami via Greyhound. That’s the first place I checked since you said she probably didn’t have enough money for a plane ticket. Greyhound is the cheapest option.”  
“Is that where she’s going for sure?” House asked as he flipped through the contents of the folder.  
“Yeah, she got a one-way ticket. She should be there tomorrow night around nine. If you fly down there, you could be at the station when her bus arrives.”  
“Okay. What else ya got?”  
“Joe Franklin is a mean motherfucker, but he’s not the top brass. Answers to someone named…” Lucas told him as he pulled out a small pad and began to flip through it.  
“Steve. I guess he’s the head bookie or something.”  
“Yeah, Steve Keener’s the one her dead husband owes. Franklin’s his top guy. Been trying to get into her pants for years, marry her, use her as a slave pretty much until she’s worked it all off, from the sounds of it.”  
“Right, like he’d ever let her leave. Find out how much she still owes if you can. I want to know. If I can clear all that up, then there’s no reason for him to keep bothering her. She said the dead husband owed over a million, and she worked three jobs to pay it but the son of a bitch kept piling on the interest so she couldn’t even make a dent.”  
Lucas nodded and made a quick exit, smiling at Cuddy as he slipped past, causing her to look back.  
“Who was that?” she asked as she watched him board the elevator.  
“The PI you refused to help me find.”  
“Did you find out where she is?”  
“Yes.”  
“Are you going to tell me?” she asked folding her arms.  
“No. The less this hospital knows, the better. I might need to borrow out of that fund you have set aside, however.”  
Cuddy blinked. “Why?”  
When House told her about Cameron’s debt, her eyes went wide. “A million? House, get real….”  
“They’re not going to leave her alone. It needs to be paid off. They’re businessmen and they want their money. If they know they’re going to get it, they’ll be likely to back off. Now how much is in there?” he asked leaning forward.  
“Not a million.”  
“Half?”  
“Less than half.”  
“I have some stocks and stuff I can sell off,” he mused. “I can probably get some of it from Wilson.”  
“House, think about this. Is she worth it?” she questioned as she unfolded her arms and leaned on his desk giving him a clear view down her blouse.  
His icy glare was enough of an answer and she backed away.   
“I’ll speak to the accountant. Maybe he can come up with something.”  
House nodded. “Good. Oh, and I’m going to Miami.”  
She nodded. “I’ll make the arrangements. Take Wilson with you. It’ll be easier to track her down if you’re both looking. Miami is huge, and at this time of year it’ll be crowded.”  
“Okay.”  
House went next door to Wilson’s office and entered without knocking.   
“Busy, House.”  
“Too busy for a trip to Miami?”  
Wilson’s head shot up. “Huh?”  
“That’s where Cameron’s going. My plan is to fly down and be there when her bus arrives at the station. Cuddy said to take you with me.”  
Wilson grinned. “I’m there. Julie is going on some girls only trip to Atlantic City so it beats sitting home alone. When do we leave?”  
“Cuddy’s arranging it. I’ll let you know but it’ll probably be tomorrow. I need to find a way to get some money together.”  
“What for? Don’t you always just use my credit card for everything?” Wilson asked dryly.  
“Got a million dollars lying around?”   
“What the hell do you need a million dollars for? Are you selling the apartment and buying a McMansion or something?” Wilson asked with a hint of sarcasm.  
“Or something. I’ll explain later.”  
“Wait, is it Cameron? She owes money?”  
“Something like that.”  
“A million, though? Seriously?” Wilson asked with wide eyes.  
“I’ve got someone looking into it right now and Cuddy’s talking to the accountant to see what they can do but yeah, if I pay off her debt then they should leave her alone. They’d better leave her alone.”  
***  
Cameron stepped off the bus in Atlanta and headed across the street to a Walgreens. During the ride, she thought it would be best to change her appearance as much as possible so she purchased some hair dye, a mirror, a trucker’s cap and some travel-size shampoo. It was an hour stopover so she had just enough time to dye her hair in bathroom at the bus station. A few women came in and looked at her strangely but she ignored them. The hardest part was washing the dye out of her hair in the small sink but she managed it. An hour later, she boarded the bus with coppery brown hair tucked under the trucker’s cap and found two empty seats near the back. She put the middle arm rest up, curled up on her side and slept until the next stop.  
***  
House and Wilson arrived at Miami airport and rented a car. Armed with the address and the GPS on Wilson’s phone, they headed for the bus station.   
“We don’t have a lot of time to get there since the rain delayed our flight out of Newark,” Wilson reminded his friend as House got behind the wheel.  
“I know, which is why I’m driving. I need to get us there fast. Just navigate.”  
“What if she changed her appearance?” Wilson suggested.   
House frowned. He hadn’t thought of that. “Look closer and pay more attention, then.”  
“How much money do you think she has?”  
“She cleaned out her bank account. She had about a thousand bucks in there. She won’t get far with that once she gets into town. Hotel rooms aren’t cheap.”  
“She could stay at a YMCA or a hostel or some place like that, though.”  
“You’re not helping, Wilson.”  
“Just playing devil’s advocate.”  
“If we intercept her at the bus station it won’t be an issue.”  
They pulled into the station and went inside to find which bay the bus would be arriving in and House looked at his watch. “It’ll be here in ten minutes. Doesn’t get much closer than that.” He looked around the waiting area and noticed two men in dark suits standing at parade rest beside a black sedan. He looked at his watch again.  
“Staring at your watch isn’t going to make it get here any sooner,” Wilson told him.  
“See those two guys by the black town car?”   
Wilson looked around. “Yeah.” He looked at House. “You think they’re here for Cameron?”  
House nodded. He really hoped she did change her appearance at some point. The only thing on their microscopic little minds was to pick up a woman who matched Cameron’s description.  
The bus arrived and pulled into the bay.   
“I’m going to try and get her before she enters the terminal. Go get in the car and keep the engine running,” House ordered as he moved toward the bus.  
“Got it,” Wilson said and took off.  
House scrutinized everyone who stepped off but the last group of passengers caught his attention. There was a small woman with a trucker’s cap tipped low to cover the top of her face. She was clutching the silk bag Cameron always kept with her and she had another bag slung over one shoulder. He saw her head for the bathrooms so he waited nearby. When she walked past, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a dark corner, covering her mouth when she yelped. Immediately she started to fight but he was a lot stronger than she was and he had to keep her still so she wouldn’t accidentally kick his leg.   
“Shh, Cameron,” he hissed in her ear. “It’s just me.”  
It sounded like House, but she didn’t dare hope it was true. How did he find her so fast?   
“House?” she whispered when he took his hand away.  
“We don’t have time. Franklin’s men are here, too.”  
Her eyes widened and she started to shake. “They’re here? They know I’m in Miami? Oh my God… what are we going to do? How are we supposed to get out of here?”  
“See the blue SUV over there?” House pointed across the street. “Wilson is waiting for us. If you go into the terminal, they’ll see you. We can’t take the chance. Go around the side of the bus and then walk, don’t run, to the SUV. I’ll be right behind you. Go now.”  
With her heart thudding in her ears, she did what he said and calmly got into the back seat because those windows were dark. A minute later, House got into the passenger seat. “Okay, let’s roll.”


	10. Chapter 10

“Where are we going?” Cameron asked.  
“We’re going to turn this car in once we get to the hotel and rent another. Just in case,” House said.   
“Did you have some place you wanted to go?” Wilson asked, looking at her through the rearview mirror.  
House waved his hand in an air of dismissal. “She’s going to our hotel and we’re getting a suite. She’ll be staying with me.”  
“Oh, is that so?” she snapped.  
House turned around and glared at her, making her shrink back in her seat. “Yes, that’s so. You have goons looking to snap you up as soon as they get the chance. You’re not to be out of my or Wilson’s sight. Get it?”  
“Got it.”  
“Good. Now shut up back there and let me think.”  
“There’s no need to be rude,” she muttered under her breath.  
“You forfeited politeness when you disappeared, left me a pathetic excuse for a note and emptied the bank account. When we get to the hotel, you and I are going to have a serious talk.”  
“Why are you treating me like a child?”  
“Because you’re acting like one!” House snapped.  
“House, come on,” Wilson groaned as he pulled into the parking lot of their hotel. “Ease up.”  
They checked in and got two rooms, one of them a two bedroom suite for House and Cameron, and used fake names for the reservations.  
“I’m starving,” House grumbled as he dropped his stuff onto the bed. “It’s too hot right now to be outside so let’s just order room service. Sound good?”  
“Fine,” Cameron called from her room on the other side of the suite and then slammed the door shut so she could change, causing House to wince.   
“I think she’s mad,” Wilson said as he came through the door from his room and opened their mini fridge.   
“She’ll just have to get over it...hey, get outta there. Get your own.”  
“My room doesn’t have a bar.”  
“Too bad.”  
“What are we ordering?” Wilson asked.  
“What do you mean we? I need to talk to Cameron. Alone. Which means you’re on your own tonight. I’m sure there are plenty of of women down at the bar right now looking for a handsome Oncologist.”  
“I _am_ married.”  
“Married, not buried. When was the last time you did the nasty with your wife?”  
Wilson knew he had him there. “Good point. Okay, I’ll go. You’re going to fill me in though, right?”  
“Yeah, tomorrow. Now away you go,” House told him making shooing motions with his hands.  
Once Wilson was gone, House ordered a large pizza split with toppings he and Cameron both liked, and then went to take a quick shower. The pizza arrived shortly after he was dressed.  
“Pizza’s here,” he called out to her as he opened the box and took a slice for himself. He opened the mini fridge and took out a bottle of beer for himself and a water for Cameron. He didn’t need her getting buzzed while they talked.  
She came out of her bedroom and took a slice, and it looked like she was about to go back but House stopped her. “Hold it. Sit.”  
“I’m going back to bed. Is that okay with you, warden?”  
“No. Sit.”  
She sighed and took a seat across from him at the table.   
“Here’s some water,” he said sliding the bottle toward her.  
She unscrewed the lid and took a long drink not meeting his eyes.  
“Now would be a good time for that talk, don’t you think?” he asked as he opened his beer.  
She sighed once more in defeat as she chewed. “What is there to talk about?”  
“How about the fact that you felt you had to run away instead of talking to me about it first?”  
“I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”  
“Yeah I got that part. I am a grown man, albeit crippled, and I can take care of myself.”  
“I know but these guys...they’re gorillas. They can do things that look like an accident and I’d never be able to live with myself. But I couldn’t stand the thought of living with Joe as his personal slave whore either,” she muttered.  
“And so you shouldn’t. But did it ever occur to you that I might’ve been working out a solution?”  
“I don't see any solution. There’s no way to pay the debt off when they keep increasing the damn interest.”  
“How long have you been paying it?” he asked as he took another slice of pizza from the box.  
“At least five years.”  
“At what interest?”  
“I don’t even know anymore. At least ninety percent. It’s worse than having a department store credit card, even more because if you don’t pay it, you sleep with the fishes. And seriously, I considered that would still be better than sleeping with Joe or Steve Keener himself. Those were two other options that were given.”  
“I’m working on something. How much do you think is left?”  
She thought about it. “Well, since you hired me, I’ve been saving my paychecks and giving most of it to them. I guess there’s at least seven hundred thousand left on the debt. That’s after I had to sell my apartment, which only covered maybe a couple hundred grand, to which he increased the interest because I didn’t have a job yet and was still in med school. He said I could marry Joe and Joe would pay it all off. He just wanted a trophy wife he could lock up in the tower. They don’t believe women have any place in the medical field.”  
House scoffed at that and Cameron smiled. “My thoughts exactly. Even graduated near the top of my class.”  
“But not _the_ top,” he pointed out, then smirked when she frowned.   
“I worked hard to get my medical degree.”  
House smirked again. “Yeah, and look where it got you.”  
She got up to leave but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back down onto her chair. “I’m not done with you yet. Listen, people choose the paths that grant them the greatest rewards for the least amount of effort. That's the law of nature, and you defied it. That's why I hired you. You could have married Joe, had your dead husband’s debt cleared, even been a model. You could have just shown up and people would have given you stuff. Lots of stuff, but you didn't, you worked your stunning little ass off."  
"Am I supposed to be flattered?" she asked incredulously.   
House tilted his head and looked at her appraisingly. "Gorgeous women do not go to medical school,” he told her. “Unless they're as damaged as they are beautiful. Were you abused by a family member?"  
She looked shocked that he would even ask. "No."  
"Sexually assaulted?"  
"No."  
"But you are damaged, aren't you?"  
“You can be a real bastard, you know that?” Anger radiated off her.  
“Yes. Now answer the question.”  
“No, I was not abused. When Ryan died I turned to Joe because he had been there to comfort me. He and Ryan were friends, after all. I didn’t know about the debt until Joe told me that Steve was looking to collect. When they propositioned me, I ran and I ended up on the street until I got sick.”  
“Okay well let me ask you this. If you pay off the debt, do you believe they’ll leave you alone?”  
Cameron blinked. “You can’t be serious.”  
“Well, we’re kind of all out of options. They’re businessmen and if they know they’re going to get their money, they should leave you alone.”  
“Where are you going to come up with that kind of money, House?” she asked suspiciously.  
“I’m working on it. And until I get it figured out, we’re going to stay under the radar. I’m sure there are people all over Miami looking for you. Might not hurt to cut your hair.”  
She touched her long hair like she was protecting it. “How short?”  
“Did you ever see Peter Pan?”  
“Yeah,” she said, warily.  
“Remember Tinkerbell?”  
“Oh hell no!”  
“It’s just hair, Cameron. It’ll grow back. And I won’t be cutting it.”  
“You won’t?”  
“No, there’s a salon in the hotel. They can do it.”  
“Isn’t there another way….” she pleaded gripping her hair tightly.   
“You’ve already dyed it darker. Cutting it off would make it harder for them to notice you. They’re looking for a long haired blonde.”  
“I know but…”  
House sighed. “Whatever. Do what you want. It’s late and I’m going to bed.”  
“Just like that?”  
“Well you’re obviously not going to take my advice so there’s not much more to say, and I’m tired. You must be tired, being on a bus for almost three days. So go sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”  
She was tired, so she nodded and headed to her room, leaving the door open that time.  
Cameron tossed and turned all night. Finally at eight the next morning, she crawled out of bed, showered and got dressed. She moved quietly to the door leading to Wilson’s room. He was more sympathetic than House. She tapped on the door and waited. A few moments later, Wilson opened the door and stepped back to allow her to enter. She told him what she wanted and he nodded. Together they made their way downstairs keeping an eye out for Joe’s men.


	11. Chapter 11

They returned an hour later and Wilson went to wake up House while Cameron looked in the mirror. Her long hair was cut short and with it dyed dark Wilson told her she looked like a young Audrey Hepburn. It curled as soon as the weight was cut off and she twisted her head to see the back. She ran her hand down the nape of her neck and sighed. When everything was over, she could grow it out and go back to her natural blonde color.  
“Wow,” she heard someone say and whirled around to face House, who looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time. “Good job.”  
“Do you think it’ll work?” she asked looking away from his intense stare. She could feel her cheeks heat up.  
“I almost didn’t recognize you so they definitely won’t give you a second look. Get yourself a big sun hat and you’ll be a dead ringer for Audrey Hepburn.”  
“That’s exactly what I told her,” Wilson said with a nod.  
“So what are we doing today?” she asked House. He was still staring at her and it was a little unnerving. “House?”  
“I need to call Cuddy and find out what’s up with the accountant. But after that, I thought we’d go to the beach. It’s too nice to stay inside. I saw that the hotel pool is overrun with a bunch of obnoxious families with screaming kids.”  
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she inquired.  
“Way more singles and hotties on the beach. It’ll be harder to spot you in that crowd. Just keep your head down and a hat and sunglasses on.”  
“I’ll take her down. You can meet up with us when you’re done with Cuddy,” Wilson offered.  
“Good plan.”  
When they were gone, House gave his head a shake to clear it. He lost all train of thought when he caught a glimpse of Cameron in a bikini just before she threw on her cover-up. He meant to ask her about the night before. He heard her cry herself to sleep and wanted to go to her but he didn’t know how well that would be received. However, if it happened again, he’d be sure to take care of her. Isn’t that what he’d been doing for the last few months anyway? He hated it when she cried, even more when she felt the need hide it from him.   
Seeing her with her short hair and that long, glorious neck did things to him that he dared not think about. But he couldn’t help imagining himself standing behind her, placing soft kisses down its length as they held each other’s gaze in the mirror.  
His ringing cell phone made him jump and he almost dropped it as he took it out of his pocket. It was Cuddy, and he hoped she had some good news.  
***  
“Have a good day at the beach? Looks like you got some sun,” House said to Cameron as they had room service once again.  
“Yeah, it was crowded but nice. Wilson met someone. He’s smooth, isn’t he?”  
“They don’t call him the panty-peeler of PPTH for nothing.”  
Cameron laughed. “They do not call him that.”   
“Yes, they do. I started the rumor,” he smirked.  
“But isn’t he married?”  
“Yep, to wife number three. Although that’s pretty much over. All one of them has to do is call the divorce lawyer but Wilson will hang on till the end.”  
“That’s sad.”  
House shrugged. “Some men gamble, some cheat. Everyone’s got a thing.”  
She tilted her head and smiled slightly. “What’s your thing?”  
“Music.”  
“I thought it was Vicodin.”  
“Music takes the edge off, too.”  
“I see. I’m guessing there’s a long story behind all that which you don’t want to tell me, right?” she sighed.  
“That’s right. I might one of these days, but not now.”  
“You don’t have to tell me. It’s fine.”  
“Make you a deal,” he said. “I’ll tell you about music when you tell me what you keep in that little bag you cling to for dear life.”  
Chewing her bottom lip, she nodded.  
When they finished eating, she took off her cover up and House whistled at her burnt shoulders. “Didn’t you put sunscreen on?”  
“I did, but my skin is pretty fair so I burn easily. I have some aloe vera lotion I was going to put on before bed. It looks worse than it is.”  
“You say that now. Tomorrow you’re gonna be hurting.”  
“I’ll manage,” she assured him.  
They watched TV for a few hours until House decided to go to bed and Cameron followed suit shortly after.   
House read for awhile until he heard something. Putting his book down, he got out of bed and limped to Cameron’s door. There was the sound of sniffling and sobbing coming from her room. He opened the door and stood in the doorway. He did not handle crying women well at all especially when the crying woman was Cameron.  
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” he asked her.  
“Go away.”  
“I wish I could,” he sighed as he came into the room and sat down on her bed so he faced her. He reached out and turned on the bedside lamp.  
She sat up and held the blanket close to her. “What are you doing?” she asked defensively.  
“Turning on the lamp so we aren’t sitting in the dark. Now what is the problem?”  
“My problem right now is you.”  
“Trust me, Cameron. You’ve got bigger problems than me in your bedroom.”  
Cameron grabbed a tissue from the box on the night table and blew her nose.  
“I know. And I can’t stop crying. Everything is a huge mess. I’ve put you in danger. Wilson is probably in danger, hell, the whole hospital could be at risk. That’s why I took off. I should’ve known you’d come find me,” she sobbed bitterly as she reached for more tissues.  
“I told you I’d help. Why aren’t you letting me?” he growled the frustration evident in his voice.  
“Because I don’t want you to get hurt! Don’t you get that?”  
“Yeah, that I get but you don’t have to worry about that.”  
“You keep saying that but I have yet to see any proof of it,” she sniffed.  
“Cameron,” he sighed as she dropped her head and kept sobbing. “Have I ever let you down yet?”  
She looked up at him and shook her head.   
“Do you trust me when I tell you that I’m not going to let anything happen to you? Or me, or anyone else?”  
She hesitated for a moment and then nodded. He started to get up but she grabbed his arm.   
“Don’t go,” she whispered.  
“You want me to sleep here?”  
Cameron nodded and made room for him in the bed.  
It was the answer he was hoping for, so he stretched out and got comfortable. She shifted and squirmed around in the bed before finally curling up next to him with her head on his chest. He could smell her shampoo and the faint scent of aloe vera.   
“Try and get some sleep,” he whispered as his fingers gently glided up and down her back.  
House awoke the next morning to an empty bed. Sitting up, he grasped his right thigh as pain shot through him. Gingerly, he got out of bed and limped back to his room. He saw his Vicodin on the bedside table and hobbled over to collapse on the floor next to the bed. Grabbing the bottle, he shook two out into his hand and swallowed them. While he waited for them to take effect, his cell phone rang. He eased himself onto the bed and picked it up. Flipping it open, he answered it.  
“House,” he grunted.  
“ _How’s my little Ally Cat?_ ” a strange voice asked. The man sounded like a walking oil slick so House figured this must be the infamous Joe Franklin.  
“Ally Cat? Really, Franklin?” he scoffed. “Not the most original nickname. But I guess if you wore more original and forward thinking you wouldn’t be some gangster's lackey.”   
Silence greeted his reply.  
“What’s the matter, Franklin, _cat_ got your tongue?” House taunted.  
“ _I know you and that oncologist are holed up in Miami with Ally,_ ” Joe responded in a tight voice. “ _My men will find you and they will dispose of you two and bring Ally back to me where she belongs._ ”  
“The fact you don’t know exactly where we are is why you will always be a lackey,” House declared before snapping his phone shut.  
He was about to get up to take a long, hot bath when his phone rang again. Rolling his head back, he groaned. Didn’t this thug know how to take a hint? Snatching up the phone, he snapped it open.  
“Don’t you have anything better to do than throw empty threats at me, Franklin?” he demanded.  
“ _This isn’t Franklin_ ,” a woman responded. She had a voice like warm honey.  
“I think you have the wrong number but from the sound of you, that might not be a bad thing,” House responded with amusement.  
“ _I’m Special Agent Austin with the FBI,_ ” she informed him. “ _We’re tapping Joe Franklin’s phone and we need to talk to you and Allison Cameron. We’re here in Miami. How soon can we meet with you?_ ”  
“How do I know you are who you say you are?” he asked guardedly.   
“ _You don’t._ ”  
“Well, you do kind of sound like a Fed.”  
“ _So, when can we meet with you and Doctor Cameron?_ ” she asked again.  
“You can meet with us now if you can find us,” House told her and terminated the call.  
Ten minutes later, the concierge opened the door to allow four men in suits to enter. A tall black woman followed them. Her dark skin gleamed in the light coming from the large windows. She wore a dark blue pant suit, a white button down shirt and sensible shoes. Glossy black hair just touched her shoulders and her eyes were the color of dark chocolate. House was sprawled on the couch. She walked over to the couch and smiled down at him. He smirked at her.  
“Looks like you found us, Austin,” he observed as he looked her up and down.  
A slight smile curved one corner of her full mouth. “Looks like I did, _House_.”  
***  
“You want us to do what? Hide out somewhere and give up our freedom while those assholes run around free? That’s your proposal? Well if that’s all you got, there’s the door,” House said as he pointed. “You can see yourselves out.”  
“A safehouse isn’t what you think it is,” Austin said. “You’ve seen too many movies.”  
“Okay then enlighten us.”  
“You’d stay in Miami for the time being, just in a house, not a hotel, with a family. These are people who are part of witness protection so they know the drill.”  
“I don’t want to stay with strangers,” Cameron said.  
“It’s a big place,” Austin assured them. “You’ll have the entire downstairs suite to yourselves. Dr. Wilson is also being placed, as he’s in danger, too. We’ve spoken briefly to your boss, Dr. Cuddy, so she’s aware of what’s going on, but she doesn’t know the details. The less she knows, the better. We’re really after Joe Franklin’s boss, Steven Keener, for murder, bookmaking, pandering, racketeering, to name a few. If we can get them and put the squeeze on, they’ll roll over, Keener will be arrested and indicted and that, as they say, is that.”  
“Will I have to testify?” Cameron inquired.  
“Only if he pleads not-guilty.”  
“He’d be stupid not to,” House muttered, and Austin smiled.   
“Our thoughts exactly. Dr. Cameron, once Keener is in jail, we can probably get your money back. After all, it wasn’t your debt to begin with. You shouldn’t have paid them a dime.”  
She opened her mouth to protest but Austin held her hand up. “I know, they made it seem like you had to, I understand. Well you don’t have to pay anything now.”  
“So how are you going to catch Franklin?” House wanted to know.  
“We hoped you’d be willing to help before we place you in the safe house.”  
“You need bait, in other words,” he said.  
“To put it mildly, yes. Can we count on you?”  
“We’re going to have to discuss this. We’ll call you and let you know.”  
Austin nodded. “That’s fine. Just don’t take too long. In the meantime, we’re going to have undercover officers and agents all over the hotel and as shadows anytime you go out.”  
“Seriously?” House asked with wide eyes.  
Austin gave House the same look he gave her. “Seriously. Your safety is of the utmost importance to us.”  
Once the group of agents was gone, House let out a sigh, and relaxed, but Cameron was pacing the floor, wringing her hands.  
“Now what’s wrong?” he groaned. “We’re safe now.”  
“Are we?”  
“Yes! The hotel is crawling with Feds and we’re going to have someone shadowing us whenever we go out.”   
He didn’t dare tell her that Joe called him. That would only serve to freak her out more.  
“What if they get past them and come in here?”  
“Nobody gets past the deadbolt and I’m sure they have someone out in the hall at all times.”  
“But what if they come in from outside?” she questioned nervously.  
“Cameron, we’re on the twenty-third floor! Nobody’s getting in here so just calm down.”  
When she continued to pace, he went to his bag, rummaged around and produced a bottle of pills.  
“Here, take this,” he said as he dropped a small tablet into the palm of her hand.  
“What is it?” she asked looking at it suspiciously.  
“Ativan.”  
“I don’t want it.”  
“Then calm down or I’ll have no choice but to drug you.”  
Her eyes widened and then she looked downright pissed. “The hell you will!”  
He gave her a mischievous grin. “Don’t underestimate me, Cameron. You know what I’m capable of. Just take the damn pill or I’ll deliver it another way, and you’re not going to like it.”  
He watched her take the pill and place it under her tongue. “Happy now?” she asked.  
“For the moment. Now go lie down.”  
“I don’t want to lie down,” she said stubbornly. At the moment she reminded him of a defiant toddler.  
Sighing with exasperation, he gently took her hand and led her to her bedroom. “Sit.”  
She sat down on the side of the bed with a deep sigh and so did he.   
“I’m scared,” she whispered.  
“I know,” he said. “So am I.”  
Cameron arched his eyebrow. “The great big bad Gregory House is scared? I never thought I’d see the day.”  
“Just don’t tell anyone. I’ve got a rep to protect,” he smirked.  
“Whatever you say, Boss Man,” she slurred with a smirk.  
House chuckled and took her pulse, noticing her eyes were dilated. “Why don’t you take a nap?”  
He helped her get comfortable on the bed and then pulled the duvet over her when someone knocked on the door.  
Wilson came in with a bag slung over his shoulder. “So uh...I guess you talked to that Austin woman?”  
“Yeah. Cameron and I have some decisions to make.”  
“What decisions? It seems pretty cut and dry to me.”  
“So you’re hiding out?” House asked.  
“Yeah, they got me into a nice bed and breakfast in Lakeland. An older couple in witness protection own it.”  
“Where’s that?” House asked.  
“North, near Disney World.”  
“Fun. Enjoy that. And keep in touch.”  
“I will. I’ll call you when I get a new phone,” Wilson told him. He looked at Cameron sleeping soundly. “Did you drug her?”  
“I gave her an Ativan.” House told him.  
“Oh, well tell her I said good-bye. I gotta go. They’re flying me out this afternoon.”  
They said their goodbyes and then House went into the main living area to watch TV while Cameron slept. He hoped the Ativan would help relieve her anxiety once she woke up. He was worried himself. He had no idea what the FBI had in mind but he was going to cooperate with or without Cameron’s help.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who are reading, leaving kudos and comments. We're glad you're enjoying this.

House heard Cameron stirring so he went to her room and leaned against the door frame. “Have a good nap?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Feel better?”  
She nodded and stretched luxuriously, like a cat, and House couldn’t help but notice the perky nipples through her shirt.   
“What time is it?” she yawned.  
“Dinner time. What do you want?”  
“Do we have to eat in our room again? Or can we actually go out?”  
He shrugged. “We can do whatever we want, but we will be followed. If you’re okay with that then so am I.”  
She shrugged too and followed him into the living room.   
“We can’t avoid it so we might as well just deal. Besides, I’m sure they’ll protect me in case you try to get fresh,” she said with a wicked grin. House picked up on that and decided to go with it, moving closer to her.  
“Do you want me to get fresh, Cameron?”  
His nearness made her heart race and then he was standing right in front of her, looking into her eyes, waiting for an answer.  
“Well, House, let me put it to you this way; I wouldn’t kick you out of bed for eating crackers.”  
House grinned and placed his hands on her hips, pulling her a little closer so they were standing toe to toe.  
“Something has shifted between us lately,” he said, still looking into her eyes, searching for answers.   
She nodded and looked up at him. “Yes, I felt it too.”  
“What do you want to do about it?”  
Cameron’s hands slid up his chest and linked around his neck, pulling his head down so his lips met hers. The kiss was tentative at first, both of them a little unsure about what was happening, or what was going to happen. Then House’s tongue touched her lips and she opened her mouth. Suddenly desire engulfed them and the kiss intensified as they strained to get as close as possible.  
“This is probably a horrible idea,” she panted when their lips finally parted.   
“I don’t see why,” House said, also a little out of breath. “We like each other, don’t we?”  
“Well, yeah, but….”  
Just then, there was a loud knock on the door. “Open up, Dr. House! It’s the FBI.”  
House looked annoyed at having their moment interrupted. He had plans to take Cameron right back to bed and finish what they started. He went to the door and flung it open to find Agent Austin standing there.   
“What the hell, Austin?” he grumbled. “You said you were going to give us time to discuss it…”  
“Complete change of plans. Franklin’s intel must have traced you to this hotel. Probably the same way he got House’s cell number. We have to get you two out of here. Grab a bag and let’s roll. Franklin and his people are in the lobby right now. Come on, chop chop!” she urged with a clap of her hands for effect.  
Cameron froze. “Joe’s here? Oh my God…”  
“Relax, Dr. Cameron. We have a plan. But we have to hurry.”  
Once she and House had their bags, they were whisked away to the top floor and then up to the roof of the hotel where a helicopter waited.   
“In you go,” Austin said as she held the door open for them to get inside.  
Meanwhile, Joe’s lackeys were chasing a couple of House and Cameron look-alikes they spotted getting into a van outside while Joe went up to their suite to find them indeed gone.   
The high speed car chase ended when the lackey’s car sideswiped the van, causing it to collide with a lamp post and burst into flames. Among the smoke and fire, nobody noticed the hand reach up to pull the manhole cover closed underneath the fiery wreck.  
***  
Wilson sat, stunned, as he watched the news that evening from his room at The Swan Inn.  
“This just in...the medical field is in shock today as two doctors, Dr. Gregory House and Dr. Allison Cameron, of Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey, were killed today in what can only be described as a high speed car chase that resembled that of a scene from a Hollywood movie.”  
“What the….” Wilson said faintly.  
Just then, the phone in his suite rang and he looked at it in wonder, since nobody but the Feds knew where he was. He tentatively reached for the phone and cleared his throat. “Hello?”  
 _“Are you watching the news?”_ House inquired. He sounded amused.  
“House? Where are you?”  
 _“Can’t tell you that right now. I just wanted you to know that Cameron and I are fine. Joe’s flunkies on the other hand...not so much.”_  
“There’s a news report that you and Cameron died,” Wilson informed him. “What the hell is going on?”  
 _“I can’t talk right now,”_ House told him. _“Just stay where you are until Austin comes to get you.”_  
Before Wilson could answer, House hung up. He put the receiver down and sighed. Only House could get into this much trouble.  
***  
The helicopter landed in Homestead, Florida. Austin got out and motioned for House and Cameron to follow her. They were in the middle of an open field. A few cows grazed in the distance. A black SUV pulled up next to the helicopter. Cameron slipped her hand into House’s. He entwined his fingers with hers and looked at Austin.  
“Now what?” he asked looking around.  
“Now you get in the SUV and go to the airport in Tampa,” Austin told him. “From there you fly back to Princeton.”  
“But Joe will find us in Princeton!” Cameron protested.   
“If he believes you’re dead he won’t be looking for you.”  
“Is that the part where we smoke Joe out of his hidey-hole?” House asked.  
“And hopefully, Keener, too,” Austin told him.  
Cameron leaned in toward House. “Your parents are going to think you’re dead!” she whispered. “Everyone we work with…”  
“Yeah, but we aren’t. Besides, only my mother will care. Wilson knows we aren’t dead so it’s fine.”  
“Get in the car,” Austin said. “We can hash all this out on the drive to Tampa.”  
An agent opened the back door of the SUV. Cameron climbed in followed by House. Austin got in the front seat and they drove toward I-75.  
“We haven’t eaten,” House told Austin. “How far is it to Tampa from here?”  
“About three hundred miles,” she replied. “We’ll stop and pick something up.”  
House looked at Cameron. Her eyes were huge and he could see the fear and worry in them.  
“Everything is going to be okay,” he assured her. He put his arm around her and pulled her close. Now if he could just believe it himself.  
“I wish I could believe that. It’s all so scary,” she whispered as she rested her head on his shoulder.  
“These guys know what they’re doing,” he assured her. Of that, he was sure. They orchestrated the staging of their deaths pretty damn fast.  
“We’re going to stop at Hardee’s here in a bit. Any objections?” Austin asked them.  
“No, that’s fine,” Cameron said.  
They pulled into the parking lot and the group went in, ordered and sat down to eat. House and Cameron were ravenous and finished theirs fairly quick.  
“Did you remember to chew?” Austin said with a chuckle.  
“Yep, and now it’s time for dessert. Want something?” House asked Cameron.  
“Sure. Surprise me.”  
He returned minutes later with two pieces of chocolate cake for each of them.   
“So what’s the next part of the plan?” he asked as he dug into his cake.  
“A funeral for Dr. Cameron. It will of course be filled with whoever shows up, and the rest will be officers from the NJPD and FBI. We’re hoping to kill two birds with one stone and have both Franklin and Keener show up but it’ll probably just be Franklin. Either way, we’ll get them. They won’t be able to resist showing up to make sure you’re really dead or to pay their respects, or both. Then we put the squeeze on Franklin, offer him a deal, get him to roll over on Keener and take it from there.”  
“Do you think he’ll go for that?”  
“He’d be stupid not to. We have enough on him alone to put him away for years.”  
“And Keener?” he asked as he shoved a bite of cake into his mouth.  
“He’ll be going away for a long time.”  
“But you have to catch him first.”  
“Exactly.” Austin turned to Cameron. “How many times have you met Steve Keener?”  
“Only a handful of times, when he…” she stopped talking and looked down at her cake. Austin quickly got the impression that it wasn’t something she wanted to talk about in public so she dropped it.   
“Right, well, we can talk more about that back at the Bureau.”  
House was very curious. He thought she’d told him everything but clearly not. Her eyes were rimmed with tears and she only picked at her cake.  
“Gonna eat that?” he asked her, and she shoved her container across the table to him without a word.  
“We’ve got to get back on the road,” Austin told them and they all got up, with House shoving the remaining bit of cake in his mouth.  
“Classy, House,” Austin grinned.  
“That’s me, Mr. Classy.”  
During the drive to the airport and while they waited to board the plane, Cameron didn’t speak.  
“Is she okay?” one of the other agents asked House.  
“I’m fine,” Cameron said and managed a slight smile. “Thanks.”  
“Want another Ativan?” House whispered.  
“Once we’re on the plane.”  
“You okay?”  
“I’m going to be.”  
Once the plane was in the air, Cameron only took half of a tablet but that was enough to relax her and allow her to doze. Since it was a small jet, House and Austin sat together so Cameron could stretch out across the seats and House was able to sit in a seat with lots of room to stretch out his leg.  
It wasn’t a long flight and they were whisked away to a nearby hotel under the assumed names of Mr. and Mrs. Greene. This time, it was a small suite but there were two queen beds.   
“Well that ends that idea,” House muttered to himself when he saw the sleeping arrangements.  
“Hhm?” Cameron said as she came up behind him. She saw the beds and a bit of relief flooded her. “What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing.”  
She smirked at him. “You were hoping for a king?”  
“Am I that transparent?”  
“Sorry, but yes.”  
He looked down, tapping his cane on the floor like he usually did when he was either at a loss for words or thinking.  
“House? I don’t think we should rush things. Especially not this. Not when there’s so much going on right now. Don’t you think?”  
He felt her soft hand on his scruffy cheek and leaned into her touch. “Yeah, you’re right. I just thought it might...help.”  
“How so?”  
“It would make us forget for awhile.”  
“I’m sure it would, but our problems will still be there.”  
He looked down at the floor again, and Cameron smiled. “House, you know I’m right.”  
“I know. Still…”  
“I think it will be worthwhile to wait until this is all over and done with.”  
“And then?”  
“We can talk about whether or not we want to venture into a relationship. If I stay at PPTH…”  
He looked up sharply. “What do you mean if? Were you planning to leave?”  
“No, you didn’t let me finish. I was going to say that if I stay at PPTH, get my license reinstated and you hire me to be on your team, you’d be my boss. Would we even be able to be together?”  
“I thought about that. I might make you a co-department head. Then we’d be colleagues, on the same level. They wouldn’t be able to say anything about that.”  
Cameron blinked, surprised, which made House chuckle. “What?”  
“Nothing, it’s just...you have that much faith in my abilities?”  
“You’re getting good at thinking outside the box and your desire to solve the puzzle is just as strong as mine. I think we’d make a good team. Besides, Cuddy says you’re the only one who’s managed to keep me in line and it would really piss Henderson off if I made you co-head instead of him. So there’s that.”  
“Why? Because he has more seniority and experience than I do?”  
“Yeah. Although it’s ultimately my decision if I want a co-head and if you weren’t there I wouldn’t bother. But for some reason, when shit goes down, Cuddy always puts Henderson in charge of things and that’s why his ego is bigger than it should be. He needs to be knocked down a few pegs.”  
“Yes he does. We agree on that,” she said as she tossed her bag onto one of the beds. “I’m going to take a shower and freshen up. Then maybe we can have dinner?”  
“The hotel has a restaurant. We should be safe there with our shadows.”  
“Okay, it’s a date then,” she said with a smile before giving him a quick peck on the cheek and then disappearing into the bathroom.


	13. Chapter 13

Joe tapped on the massive oak door before pushing it open and walking into Steve’s office. The room was ostentatious. Floor to ceiling windows behind the massive and ornately carved desk offered a view of downtown Chicago. Everything else was dark wood, red velvet and gilded with real gold. Expensive paintings adorned the walls and objects d’art lined the bookshelves along with first edition copies of classic literature.   
Joe fought the urge to roll his eyes. He’d known Steve when he was called Stevie and ran around with skinned knees from falling off his bike. Joe, Stevie and Ryan grew up together in a low income suburb of Chicago. Ryan was always betting on something or someone. When he bet and lost his bike, Stevie stole it back for him and Joe beat up the boy who won it in the bet. That’s how they did things. They looked out for each other; took care of each other.  
Then Ryan got a full scholarship to the University of Illinois at Chicago. He always was the more studious of the three. He actually studied and made straight A’s in school. Steve was smart but in a different way. School bored him but he could take a dollar and make fifty dollars off it. He loaned money to their classmates in high school, charged exorbitant interest, and then had Joe collect when the time came. That was what Joe did best. He was always a big, brawny kid who could fight. When Ryan left for college, Steve and Joe expanded their territory. Soon they came up against actual members of the mob. Steve blended in seamlessly with them. Joe had a harder time. Punching a football player to get the money back was one thing. Learning to shoot a gun and actually using it on another person was something else entirely. Now he pawned that duty off on his own men.  
Joe loosened his tie and sat down in one of the plush red velvet and dark oak chairs in front of Steve’s desk.   
Steve looked up from his computer. His blue eyes narrowed as he looked at his childhood friend. “You lost her and now she’s dead,” he commented referring to Cameron. He heaved a sigh and leaned back in his chair. “How am I going to get the money back now, Joey? That little bitch Ryan married owed us almost a mil’.”  
“Technically, Ryan owed us the money because he couldn’t stop betting on stupid shit and losing,” Joe reminded him.  
Steve rolled his neck and and breathed in deeply. The sunlight pouring in the windows glinted off his thinning blonde hair “And since Ally was married to him, the debt was passed to her. Who’s going to pay it now, Joey? Huh? Who?”  
“Jesus, Stevie! Just write it off as a bad debt or something.”  
“You wanna go tell Collins it was a bad debt?”   
Xander Collins was the head of the mob in Chicago. He was a cruel old man who enjoyed inflicting as much pain as possible on people. To the outside world, he was a wealthy businessman. Joe and Steve also appeared to be wealthy businessmen. Except their wealth came from the misfortune of others and Joe was beginning to tire of it all. He wanted out but didn’t know how to escape.  
Joe slumped in his chair and ran his hands through his thick, dark hair. “No, but what can we do?” he demanded. “She’s dead! The Feds were protecting her. My guys ran them off the road. You can’t get money from a dead woman. And she don’t got no family left since you burned down their house and killed them all.”  
“You gettin’ soft on me, Joey? I know you always had a thing for Ryan’s little wife. I know you been begging her to marry you and offerin’ to pay her debt.”  
Joe clenched his fists. “I saw Ally first. I introduced her to Ryan but she was supposed to be mine. I saw her first!”   
Steve stood up and stretched. Slowly, he walked around the desk until he was standing in front of his old friend.  
“So finders keepers, losers weepers?” Steve sneered. “You screwed up because you wanted to marry that scrawny little bitch. Now someone has to pay. So, I’m askin’ you again, Joey. Who’s gonna pay for this massive fuck up?”  
“My guys were chasing the car,” Joe told him. He shrugged. “Make an example out of _them_ for screwing up.”  
“Oh, I plan to,” Steve told him. He reached behind his back and pulled out a Sig Sauer. Pointing it at Joe’s head, he frowned. “We been friends a long time. But I ain’t gonna have Collins up my ass about this.”  
Before Joe could even blink, Steve shot him, then walked around his desk and picked up the phone.  
“Yeah, get somebody in here to take out the garbage and do a clean up,” he said as he put his gun in a drawer in his desk. “And let Collins know Joe has been taken care of.”  
Steve sat down and looked into the lifeless eyes of his oldest friend.  
“Sorry, Joey,” he said. “It’s just business.”  
***   
Cameron exited the bathroom wearing a simple yellow dress and white sandals. Her dark hair curled around her face and House found it hard to take his eyes off her. He patted a spot on the bed next to him. Smiling, she walked over to him and sat down.  
“Before we go eat,” he began, “I want to know everything about you, your husband and his mobster friends.”  
Cameron’s smile vanished and she bowed her head. Slowly, she nodded. Turning slightly toward her, he looked at her,  
“Joe introduced me to Ryan during our senior year at college,” she said softly. “He pursued me and I thought I was in love with him. I didn’t find out about his gambling addiction until after he died. The cancer I knew about but I married him anyway. I wanted to take care of him. No one should die alone and he didn’t have any family.”  
She stood up and began to pace.  
“I don’t know if it was the cancer or if he just hid it really well, but after we were married…” her voice trailed off and House saw her wipe tears from her eyes.  
Taking a deep breath, she continued. “After we were married, he became abusive. He told me I was too fat, so he withheld food. The only way I could eat was to sleep with him. He didn’t like me to wear makeup and when I did, he called me a slut. Then he started to hit me. It only stopped when he got too sick. I met Steve when Ryan was hospitalized. They seemed like normal guys; regular businessmen. I met Joe at a school mixer my freshman year. I thought he worked for the college. Anyway, Joe stayed with us until Ryan died. He and I spent hours talking. I liked him but it was obvious his feelings for me went beyond just friendship. After Ryan’s funeral, Steve told me about the money Ryan owed and that I had to pay it. I was just starting med school and didn’t have that kind of money. So, I worked out a payment plan with Steve. I did went to school and worked two jobs. I lived in a one room apartment. I took the bus. I ate whatever I could find because I couldn’t afford food. Whenever I thought I was making a dent in that damn debt, Steve would raise the interest. And all that time, Joe was always there, hovering, telling me to quit and marry him. He said if I married him that the debt would be taken care of. But there was something about him; something dark and mean. Once I finished my residency, I took a job in the Immunology department at a hospital in New Hampshire. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going but they found me. Then I read in the paper that my parents house burned down and they were dead along with my brother and sister and their families. So, I ran. I gave up everything. And here we are and I’m hiding again.”  
House put his hands on her shoulders, he looked into her eyes.  
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. He rested his cheek on the top of her head.  
“But that’s not the whole story,” he remarked. “You had to know about the cancer when you met him and you still married him. You can’t be that good a person _and_ well-adjusted.”  
She jerked away from him her face set in anger. “You wanted to know,” she ground out.  
“I did,” he replied. “But, as I suspected, you’re damaged. You were damaged long before you met Ryan.” He looked down at the carpet and then carefully made his way back to the other bed. Rubbing his thigh, he shook his head.  
“Opposites don’t attract when it comes to people,” he said. “Like is drawn to like. You’re damaged so I was drawn to you. I’m damaged so you were drawn to me. I understand you. You think like I do. You understand me which is a first. You don’t nag me or annoy me which is also a first. I piss you off occasionally but I guess the truth does hurt.”  
Cameron walked over to the table between their beds and got his Vicodin. She poured two out into her hand and went into the bathroom. When she came out, she handed him the pills and the water. He smiled slightly and saluted her with the cup of water.  
“See?” he grinned. “You know what I need without me having to say a word. And I know that you love me. You also don’t care about my leg. Aren’t you curious to know what happened?”  
She folded her arms. “My guess is one of your patients shot you,” she snarked as she stared at him with hard eyes.  
House laughed. “That is more interesting than what actually happened. Would you please sit down? You do know you can’t really pierce me with your gaze, right?”  
She turned away and sat down on the other bed.  
House shook his head. “This is going to be a thing, isn’t it?”  
Cameron turned toward him and he saw a gleam of amusement in her eyes. “So if you didn’t get shot for being a real bastard, what happened to your leg?”  
He pointed at her and smiled. “See? I knew you were curious and just too polite to ask.”   
He got up and sat down next to her. She listened as he told her about his leg. When he finished, she shook her head.  
“Stacy had no right to go behind your back like that,” she told him with an edge of anger. “You might have complete use of your leg if she did what you wanted.”  
He shrugged. “Well, now we’ll never know.” He looked around. “Where’s my cane? I’m starving.”  
Cameron got his cane from the back of the hotel door and they went down to eat dinner.


	14. Chapter 14

After dinner that night, while House slept soundly in the next bed, Cameron stared up at the shifting shadows on the ceiling. The things he told her rolled around in her mind like sharp edged pebbles. Was she really only attracted to House because he was damaged? She thought back over the time she spent with him. He took care of her when she was sick. No one did that before. She was always the caretaker. He took her in when she had nowhere else to go. He encouraged her to think and look at things differently. She knew he liked her and she did love him. She never loved a man as much as she loved House. However, he didn’t say that he loved her. Was she just a project that he would grow tired of and send her away? She overheard Wilson telling House that she was House’s hobby. It hurt her that people might see her that way.  
A pillow landed on her face.  
“I can hear you thinking all the way over here,” House teased. “Now close your damn eyes and go to sleep.”  
Cameron threw the pillow back toward him and sighed. Rolling on her side, she curled up and went to sleep.  
***   
Cameron’s “funeral” was at the end of the week. Since her body was “burned beyond recognition”, the casket remained closed. She was surprised to see a lot of people from the hospital crowding the funeral home. Lucy looked particularly upset. She kept wiping tears from her eyes. Cameron felt guilty for making her friend believe she was dead. It was for a very good reason, but she still felt guilty.  
“People like you,” House grunted from his seat beside her in the FBI surveillance van. He slurped from a red straw stuck in a large plastic cup.  
“Do you like me?” she asked archly. She turned to face him and folded her arms over her chest.  
He shrugged and continued to sip his root beer noisily,   
Cameron shook her head and returned her attention to the video screens. Ever since their kiss and talk, he’d been withdrawn and it was making her crazy. He knew how she felt about him but he refused to talk about it or their kiss. She’d never met anyone she wanted so much and who infuriated her so much.  
“Is that Steve Keener?” Austin asked, snapping Cameron’s attention back.  
Leaning forward, Cameron looked at the man who exited the back of a black sedan.  
“That’s him,” she said with a nod.  
“Suspect is in sight. Move in. Await my command,” Austin said into her walkie-talkie to the agents outside and inside the building. When she finished, her phone rang. She answered, listened for a moment, asked some questions, and then hung up.  
“They just found Joe Franklin’s body,” she told them. “It was in a Dumpster. He’d been shot in the head at point blank range.”   
Cameron suddenly felt light headed and her vision began to darken. A large, warm hand rested against her neck and gently pushed her head down to her knees. House’s hand remained on the back of her neck and his fingers stroked her skin. He was saying something to Austin but she couldn’t understand him over the clanging noise in her head. Joe was dead. She knew Steve killed him and then had him thrown away like garbage. It could have been her or House. The thought of House shot between the eyes and then thrown away like garbage was too much. Everything went black.  
Something pungent made her cough and try to sit up. House gently pushed her back down.  
“You fainted,” he told her. “Didn’t think you cared about old Joey so much.”  
“You’re an ass,” she whispered. “I was thinking it could have just as easily been you.”  
“Nothing’s going to happen to me,” he said.  
“You don’t know that,” she snapped as she sat up and moved back to her seat. “I’m sure Joe thought the same thing until he was shot.”  
“Boy, you sure are grouchy when you’re on a stake-out,” he grumbled as he sat back in his seat.  
Cameron ignored him and watched as Steve sat in the front row book-ended by two muscle-bound men. Her eyes widened in surprise when he got up and walked toward the casket. He started to speak but there was no audio feed only visual. He finished speaking and sat down again. A few more people got up and spoke. Then the chaplain spoke for several minutes before the mourners got up and began to leave. Soon only Steve and his men were in the chapel with the casket. Steve stood up and walked toward it.  
“Go!” Austin shouted into her walkie-talkie.  
Just as Steve was about to lift the lid of the casket, the SWAT team swarmed into the building. Steve’s body guards pulled their guns and were immediately shot. Steve put his hands over his head and an agent rushed forward to arrest him. He was marched out of the building and Austin opened the back door of the van and motioned for Cameron and House to emerge. They stepped onto the pavement as Steve was brought up to them.  
“Is this Steve Keener?” Austin asked Cameron again.  
“Yes,” Cameron said in a clear controlled voice.  
“You stupid bitch!” Steve yelled as he was pulled away. “I should have killed you when I had the chance! You and that damn cripple you’re shacked up with!”  
“Well that was rude,” House commented. He turned to Austin. “We free to go now?”  
“For now,” she told him. “We’ll still keep you both under close surveillance until the trial.”   
Cameron lived with House until the trial was over and then she moved in with Lucy. Xander Collins, Steve, and all their men were sent to jail. A judge awarded Cameron all the money she paid to Steve. Most of it she gave to House in the form of a cashier’s check. When she moved, he called a lawyer and had the money put into a trust in her name.  
Shortly after Christmas, Jenkins left the team. Cameron completed all the requirements to have her medical license reinstated and House hired her as the co-department head. Cuddy also allowed them to hire another team member and since House couldn’t be bothered to interview anyone, Cameron hired an interventional radiologist named Amber Volakis. House took an immediate dislike to her and referred to her as Cut-Throat Bitch. He tried to fire her several times and each time Cameron hired her back. Finally, he gave up and their snark sessions became legendary around the hospital.   
With Cameron’s help, the Diagnostics department ran smoothly and for the first time ever actually made money for the hospital that didn’t come from donors. House was secretly proud of all she accomplished but refused to tell her. Since the whole fiasco with the mobsters and their one kiss, she withdrew from him. House knew it was because he withdrew first so he simply stared at her and made a point to be as close to her as possible. He knew it irritated her but he didn’t know what else to do. He wanted her but he was afraid she simply wanted him because he was damaged. She was no longer the timid, ill woman he first met. Now she was confident and stood up to him when necessary. She ran the department like a well-oiled machine and the team liked her. Everyone liked her. He had fallen in love with her and had no idea what to do about it.


	15. Chapter 15

At the end of May, House entered Wilson’s office and sat down in front of his desk. He leaned his chin on his cane and sighed loudly. Wilson continued to write in a chart. House sighed again. Wilson continued to ignore him.  
“She’s changed,” House said moodily.  
“Of course she has,” Wilson agreed as he closed the chart and opened another one. “She’s no longer in danger, she’s no longer sick and she’s no longer homeless. A normal person would be happy for her. Of course, we both know you are definitely not normal.”  
“You’ve become very hurtful and bitchy since you started dating CB,” House informed him.  
“Amber hasn’t changed me,” Wilson replied. “Besides, aren’t you in here to ask me what you should do about the fact you’re in love with Cameron?”  
“Am not,” House said defensively as he got up and moved to the couch.  
“Okay,” Wilson said and turned his attention back to his paperwork.  
House stretched out on the couch and began to twirl his cane over his head.  
“She barely speaks to me,” he commented.  
“Because you’re an ass,” Wilson told him. He put his pen down. “Ask her out. Take her to a nice restaurant. Send her flowers. Woo her. Women loved to be wooed.”  
House was silent as he continued to twirl his cane. Wilson shook his head and went back to work.  
“We were going to start seeing each other after the trial,” House said finally. “We kissed and then....”  
“Did you sleep with her?”  
“Never got the chance,” House told him never taking his eyes off his cane. “She likes damaged people.”  
“So, in that twisted rat maze brain of yours, you decided she only likes you because of your leg. You’re an idiot.”  
“Hurtful,” House pouted.  
“Did you ever stop to think that by pulling away you hurt her?” Wilson asked as he leaned forward on his desk. “Ask. Her. Out.”  
“You are the least helpful person I know,” House complained as he got up from the couch. He slammed the door behind him as he left.  
***  
“Do you only want to be with me because I’m damaged?” House asked Cameron when he found her in the locker room at the end of the day.  
“This is the women's locker room, you know,” she said as she rummaged through her bag.  
“Answer the question.”  
“No.”  
“No you don’t want to answer, or….”  
She let out a deep sigh and turned to face him. She looked tired. “I don’t think you’re more damaged than me or anyone else. I wanted to be with you because you’re the only one who ever gave a damn. If it had been any other doctor in the clinic that day, they would’ve just given me antibiotics and sent me back onto the street. You not only treated me like a real person, but you saw something that nobody else did. I thought maybe we had something going…when we were in Florida. But then you backed off so I thought maybe some aspect of my past turned you off and you didn’t want me anymore. Not that I can blame you. I have a lot of baggage.”  
“Everyone has baggage. The only difference is how they deal with it. You can let it rule you, or you can move on.”  
“I chose to move on. I can’t change it, so why dwell on it? What’s done is done. For the first time in...well, years, I have financial independence and my life feels...good. It’s just…” she faltered and focused on her bag.  
“What?”  
“I thought you...that you might have wanted a relationship with me…”  
He looked down at the floor. “I do. And I was an idiot. Instead of embracing what we could have had, I got spooked and ran the other way. That’s my M.O.”  
“I understand and who knows? Maybe it won’t work out, but at least we can say we tried, right? And things can go right back to the way they are now.”  
He tapped his cane on the floor and cleared his throat. “I have two tickets to a monster truck rally on Saturday night. Do you want to go with me?” he asked.  
Before she could reply, he continued quickly, “Or we could get dressed up and go to Cafe Spilletto. I’d have to make reservations.”  
“I’ve never been to a monster truck rally,” she replied with a smile. “What do I wear?”  
House looked up and smiled. “Low rider jeans are hot.”  
***  
House was glad she agreed to the monster truck rally. Cafe Spiletto was nice but it was too stuffy and it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun as seeing Gravedigger up close and personal.  
They arrived at the outdoor arena and House parked in one of the handicapped parking spaces near the entrance. It was still light though the sun was beginning to set painting everything a rosy gold color. As Cameron walked around the car, the sun burnished her golden curls and gilded her as she approached him with a smile. She wore a snug red t-shirt, low-rider jeans, and flat-heeled black ankle boots. Though she was still slender, she’d filled out some since he first met her. Her t-shirt strained across her breasts and the sight made him smile.  
“You like my jeans?” she teased as they walked side by side to the gate.  
“Among other things,” he told her as he rested his hand on the curve of her lower back.  
Once inside, they found their seats and for the next two hours they shouted and laughed as Gravedigger destroyed all types of vehicles. When it ended, Cameron turned to him, her face flushed with excitement and her eyes sparkling like jewels. He leaned toward her and kissed her. Her hands slid across his back as she returned the kiss. He put one arm around her and cupped her breast with the other. Leaning into him, she moaned softly as her tongue stroked his. He sucked on her bottom lip as he pulled away. Reaching up, he ran his finger along the curve of her cheek. Her lips were swollen and her eyes were dark.  
“How about some cotton candy?” he asked in a low voice. “And you need a Gravedigger hat.”  
She nodded and they stood. House held out his left hand and she took it. Holding hands they made their way out of the stadium to the vendor stalls near the exit. He got them cotton candy and matching hats. He put hers on her head and she laughed. The sound poured over him like warm sunshine. Slowly, they made their way to the exit. He devoured his cotton candy and began to pick bits off hers. She pulled a large chunk off and handed him the rest.  
“Race you to the car,” she teased.  
“Har, har,” he mumbled around a mouthful of the sweet, sticky fluff.  
Once they got to the car, it took some time to get out of the parking lot. They followed a long line of cars out of the large parking area. Soon they were headed north to Princeton on US-1. Cameron chatted excitedly about the show all the way back. House smiled and offered an occasional comment.  
Stopping at The Red Oak Diner for a late dinner, they slid into a booth and a young woman approached them with menus. Once she had their drink orders, she left them and House put his menu down. He watched Cameron as she looked over her menu. Finally, she looked up at him and smiled.  
“What are you getting?” she asked.  
“Reuben, dry, no pickle with the onion rings,” he replied. “You?”  
“Burger with everything and fries. Can I get dessert, too?”  
“They won’t let you leave if you don’t,” he said and winked at her.  
Their server returned and took their orders. While they waited on their food, they talked about the truck show, Wilson and Amber, and the new nurse House was convinced was a transvestite.  
Their food came and Cameron took a huge bite of her burger. House was glad to see she had an appetite and didn’t order a salad. He knew she used the gym in her apartment complex and from their kiss earlier, he felt the muscles under her soft skin.  
They both ordered apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting over the warm, spicy slice. House inhaled his and then snitched bites of Cameron’s. She finally pulled the plate closer and put one arm protectively around it. As she finished it, she made sounds of pleasure that sent desire coursing through him like fire. As she scraped the last of the ice cream from her plate, he paid the bill.   
All too soon, they were at the apartment she shared with Lucy. He leaned against the door frame as she pulled her keys from her purse. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him.   
“How about dinner and a movie next Friday,” he breathed as he nuzzled her neck. “ _Mean Girls_ is still playing.”  
She laughed and leaned into him. “How many times have you seen that movie?”  
“Not nearly enough,” he replied in a husky voice then nipped at the soft skin below her ear lobe.  
Tilting her neck, she sighed with pleasure. Reluctantly, she pulled away.   
“I had fun tonight,” she said. “Thank you.”  
She kissed his cheek and then went into the apartment. House waited until he heard the lock slide into place before leaving.


	16. Chapter 16

“You still haven’t slept with her?” Wilson asked in surprise.  
They sat on the couch in House’s apartment playing a video game.  
“No,” House said as he blew up Wilson’s avatar. “And pay attention.”  
He started the game again but Wilson paused it.  
“This is huge,” he told House. “Stacy moved in a week after she met you.”  
“And look how well that worked out,” House replied as he got up and headed toward the kitchen. “You want more beer?”  
“Yeah,” Wilson said. “So why are you taking it so slow with Cameron?”  
House returned and handed Wilson his beer. Slouching down on the couch, he took a large swallow of his own beer. He wiped his mouth with his hand.  
“I don’t want to screw this up,” he told Wilson. Lifting his right leg, he put his feet on the coffee table and sipped his beer. “Cameron is different.”  
“Have you told her you love her?”  
House shook his head.  
“Do you love her?” Wilson persisted.  
House twisted the bottle in his hands.  
“You do,” Wilson concluded. He reached for his game controller. “You need to tell her.”  
House grabbed his controller. “You need to concentrate or I win and you owe me fifty bucks.”  
After Wilson left, House stretched out on the couch and unfolded the two twenties and a ten Wilson reluctantly handed over before leaving. The hospital’s annual fundraiser was coming up and he was taking Cameron. This year it was a poker tournament and he knew Cameron was an excellent player. Instead of taking her home, he could bring her back here and she could spend the weekend with him. The thought of her naked in his bed made his pants tight and warmth spread through him.  
***  
“I guess you’re going to the fundraiser,” House said when Cameron brought him his coffee.  
“I was planning on it. Cuddy wants us all there. Especially you. You are one of her biggest assets.”  
“So she tells me. I thought maybe you… and I…”  
She smiled at him. “Go on…”  
“Well, I know how good a poker player you are, and you know I’m good. We could clean everyone out. Whaddya say?”  
“You want us to go together? Like a date?”  
“Sure. Sounds good.”  
Cameron laughed and shook her head. “All you had to do was ask, you know. But yes, I would love to go with you and be your date.”  
House grinned and took a sip of his coffee. “Cool. Wear something sexy.”  
“Like you even had to ask,” she said with a roll of her eyes before leaving his office. She kept her desk in the conference room so House could have his own space. She didn’t mind that. After all, it his his department first. She figured sharing an office with him would be awkward. Why, she didn’t know, but that’s just how she felt. Since House didn’t offer, she figured that’s the way he wanted it too, which was fine with her.  
So now she needed to go shopping for something to wear. It was a black tie event so on the weekend, she and Lucy drove to the mall in search of something drop dead gorgeous. It took all day but she found the perfect gown and scored a good deal on it.   
As the event drew closer, she noticed that House was more fidgety than normal and she became concerned.  
“Are you alright?” she questioned.  
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Are you?”  
Cameron smirked. “Yes.”  
“Ready for the fundraiser?”  
“Yep. I’m looking forward to it. Bring your money. I’m gonna clean you out.”  
It was House’s turn to smirk. “That’s what you think.”  
“No, it’s what I know.”  
“Think what you like, House. You’re going down.”  
He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “I certainly hope so.”  
Cameron blushed and looked away, but she was smiling.  
“Speaking of which, I have an idea,” he began.  
She looked back at him and sat on the corner of his desk. “Oh? Do tell.”  
“Do you have plans this weekend?”  
“Not that I’m aware of. Assuming we don’t get a case, I was just going to hang out.”  
“I thought maybe we could do something.”  
“Sure. Like what?” she asked.  
“Well, maybe after the fundraiser you could come to my place.”  
“I think that’s a very good idea.”  
House released the breath he didn’t even know he was holding. Relief and elation filled him and he sat back in his chair. “I’ve been thinking about it since Florida, actually. Then things shifted again, and then again. If you’re open to it, I thought we might see where things go.”  
She nodded and smiled. “I’ve always been open to it, House. But you’re right, there have been a lot of changes. And I did enjoy our date last week. I was hoping there might be more.”  
“There is if you want there to be.”  
“I do want it,” she said and leaned down so their faces were millimeters apart. “More than I’ve ever wanted anything.”  
He smiled at her and leaned forward. Their lips met in a feather light kiss until they heard Cuddy’s heels approaching.   
“Leave it to the Wicked Witch of the West to ruin a good moment,” House said with a sigh of resignation as he sat back and Cameron hopped off the corner of his desk.   
“Another coffee?” she asked.  
“Yeah.”  
Cuddy entered his office with a file. “New patient. Should be an easy one.”  
“Then why are you giving it to us?” House groaned as he snatched the file from her and looked at it.  
“Because if you solve it quickly you’ll be free in time for the fundraiser. I don’t want your team on a case while that’s happening. I want all of you to be present and accounted for.”  
“Of course you do. You want to parade us around to your donors like show ponies. I get it.”  
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, your reputation still means something to this hospital.”  
While Cuddy was saying that, Cameron was silently mimicking her as she approached with House’s coffee, making him chuckle.  
Cuddy turned around to see Cameron as she entered the room with House’s coffee.  
“You will make sure he gets there on time, right?”  
Cameron nodded, the very picture of innocence. “Absolutely. House will be there for you to parade around to your heart’s content. So long as you let us have a little fun at the poker table.”  
“You know how to play poker? Oh God, of course House would’ve taught you. What was I thinking?”  
“Yeah really,” House said with a roll of his eyes.  
Cuddy glared at him and then left.  
“So, as I was saying, how are you getting to the fundraiser?” House asked.  
“Lucy and I are going together. I thought we could just meet up there. Then we can go back to your place after and Lucy will have her car to go home.”  
House nodded.   
Cameron leaned over again and whispered, “I can’t wait to see you in a tux.” Then she kissed the shell of his ear and left to make copies of their patient’s file.  
House admired the view as she walked out and smiled.  
***  
House sat at the bar nursing a scotch as he kept an eye out for Cameron. She was running a little late and he was getting antsy. He’d already done his part by mingling with Cuddy and the donors before excusing himself to get a much needed drink. The two poker tables were full so he took out a cigar, lit it and waited for either Cameron to show up or a spot to open up so he could play.  
“Are you going to sit here all night?” Wilson asked him.  
“Maybe.”  
“She’ll be here any minute, House. It takes time for women to make themselves look amazing. Although Cameron doesn’t need to do much.”  
Wilson rambled on, not noticing House’s attention focused elsewhere. “You didn’t hear a thing I said, did you?” Wilson said with a smirk. He shook his head and followed House’s gaze to the entrance and the vision of loveliness in a floor length red gown. “Wow…”  
For the first time in years his mind went blank as he gawked at Cameron. She was talking to Cuddy but he noticed her look his way and smile knowingly as she spoke.   
_Little minx_ , he thought to himself with a chuckle, _you know exactly what you’re doing_.  
“You are the luckiest son of a bitch in this place,” Wilson muttered. “You know that, right?”  
“I know.”  
“Don’t screw it up.”  
“Who are _you_ to tell me not to screw it up?” House snapped as he stubbed out his cigar, ordered a glass of wine for Cameron and approached her.  
“About time you got here,” he said as he handed her the glass of wine.  
“I know, I’m late,” she said as she took the glass from him. Their fingers touched and they both felt the electric charge. “You look incredible in that tux, by the way. In case I forget to tell you later.”  
He grinned and nodded. “Thank you. That gown is incredible.” Then he leaned over and whispered, “It will look even more incredible on my bedroom floor.”  
Cameron blushed as his lips gently kissed her ear. “Maybe not the floor, but hanging over a chair will do,” she whispered back.  
“Okay, kids, break it up,” Cuddy said with a smirk. “Cameron, I’ve got some people I want to introduce you to and then you’re free to play the tables.”  
Cameron looked regretfully at House but he nodded and told her to go on and that he’d save her a seat.  
“You’re not going to stay long, are you?” Wilson asked him.  
“What do you think?”  
“I think you two should make yourselves scarce as soon as possible. I’ll cover for you.”  
“Much appreciated.”  
“I would like to play at least a few games before I go. You know, make a little extra for PPTH so it looks like I give a crap.”  
“I see a couple of spots opening up over there. Let’s nab ‘em.”  
A little while later, another seat opened up and Cameron quickly slid into it. Once she had her chips, a new game started.  
A couple of hours later, when things cooled off, they decided to call it a night.  
“Still want to come over tonight?” he whispered as he helped her with her coat.  
“Yes,” was her simple reply and they went outside to the car. It was raining so they dashed across the lot and House opened the door for her to get in.  
Once he was behind the wheel, he gave his head a quick shake and she laughed as water splattered everywhere. He grinned at her as he started the car and drove them back to his apartment.


	17. Chapter 17

House was grateful he took Wilson’s advice and had Laydee come back to clean his apartment. The place was spotless, and there was even a fire going when they entered.  
“Wow,” Cameron said as she unbuttoned her coat and slid it off her shoulders. House took it from her and hung it in the closet next to his.  
“You were expecting a mess?” he smirked as he went over to the fire and stoked it a little.  
“I lived with you, remember? I know the usual state of your apartment,” she responded with a slight smile.  
“Touche.”  
“At least it’s nice and warm in here.”  
“It’s warmer in the bedroom,” he said as he extended his hand out to her. She took it and let him lead her down the hall. Once they were in his bedroom, he closed the door behind her. “Now, how do you get out of this thing?” His hands slid down her arms and he noticed that she had goosebumps. “Are you cold?” he asked as he began placing kisses along her neck and shoulder.  
“Not at all,” she whispered as she closed her eyes. His scruff was shorter than usual and not as scratchy. His lips felt soft as they moved down the back of her long neck. Finally he came to the clasp at the top of her dress so he unhooked it and then slowly pulled down the zipper as far as it would go. The dress began to slide down so Cameron carefully stepped out of it and draped it over a chair. She turned to face him wearing her strapless black lace bra and matching underwear with sheer black stockings held up by garters.  
House thought he was going to lose his mind as he circled her, taking her in. Cameron felt a little vulnerable under his gaze, but it was also quite intoxicating at the same time. He was looking at her like she was the eighth wonder of the world. His eyes travelled down to her dark red heels and then back up again. She reached for him, shoved off his tuxedo jacket, pulled off the tie he’d already loosened, then worked at the buttons of his shirt until they were all undone and he shrugged it off so it fell on the floor.  
House wrapped his arms around her, pulled her against his body as their lips found each other. Cameron’s mouth opened as his tongue slid against hers and his hands slid down her back and squeezed her ass, pressing her core against him. His excitement was quite obvious and she moaned softly, rubbing herself against him, trying to get closer.  
He gripped her leg and pulled it around his waist, gently thrusting his pelvis against her to create the friction she desired.  
“House…” she sighed. “Feels so good. More.”  
He smiled against her lips and took a few steps toward the bed. She sat down on the edge and watched as he took off her shoes one at a time, then slid his hands along her calf. They traveled up her leg, to the inside of her thigh and quickly unhooked her stocking from the garter. He did the same to the other stocking and then unhooked the garter belt, peeling it away from her so all that remained were her bra and underwear.  
“You’re a little overdressed,” she said softly as she placed her hands on his chest and let her nails rake over his warm skin. She quickly unbuttoned and unzipped his pants and they slid down his legs, revealing his scar. He stood there, frozen in place as he watched, waiting for her to look repulsed or pitying, but neither of those things happened.   
She looked up and gave him a saucy grin. “House,” she whispered as she reached for him and caressed his cheek. “I want you… all of you.”  
He leaned into her touch and closed his eyes.   
“This doesn’t seem real,” he said softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  
“But it is. Do you love me?”  
House didn’t know what to say to that. Was he in love with her? Or was it just an infatuation, something he wanted and once he had it, didn’t need anymore? No, it was more than just that. She meant more to him than anyone ever had. He did love her. All he could do was nod. _Damnit!_ He never was good at expressing his feelings.   
Cameron could see that he was lost in thought over her question. Although it seemed simple enough, he seemed to be at a loss for words. Several emotions crossed over his face as he tried to come up with an answer.  
“Then show me,” she told him with a sweet smile.  
That he could do. He kissed her, lowering her back against the pillows, his hands making quick work of discarding her bra and panties.  
As she lay there, naked, open to him, he just wanted to touch her, look at her. But that wasn’t enough. He wanted to have her, feel her, inside and out.  
“Yessss,” she hissed as his lips slid down her neck and fastened on one of her nipples, gently tugging on it with his teeth as he entered her.   
Cameron gasped and gripped the pillow as House moved within her, slowly and deeply. When his lips returned to hers, she opened her mouth under his to accept his tongue, which explored and slid against her own.  
She always knew that he’d be an exceptional lover and he didn’t disappoint. His hands and his mouth were seemingly everywhere. Kissing, touching, kneading and caressing her pliant body, until she didn’t think she could take anymore.  
“House!” Cameron cried out, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist to pull him in as close as she could. His arms slid underneath her and they rolled across the bed so she was in full control. She placed her hands on his chest for leverage as she rode him harder and faster until she came to her own explosive finish.   
It was an amazing sight. She arched her back and her head lowered, causing her hair to fall over her eyes before she collapsed on him, her head on his chest. He could feel her heartbeat as she lay on him and it lulled him to sleep.  
***  
The sunlight woke House up and the first thing he smelled was coffee. As he contemplated getting up, Cameron came into the room wearing his white tuxedo shirt from the night before, carrying two steaming mugs.   
“Morning,” she said as she handed him one.   
“Morning,” he smiled at her. She looked amazing in his shirt and nothing else.   
She climbed into bed next to him and they sat, leaning against the headboard, sipping their coffee.  
“Ready to tell me about music?” she asked.  
“Ready to tell me what’s in that bag?” he shot back with a wink.  
She nodded.  
“Music takes me away,” he said softly not looking at her. “I can lose myself in a song. With music there is no pain.” He looked up at the ceiling.  
She knew he’d told her something intensely personal and she felt her heart swell with love for him.  
“In my bag,” she began, “are some family photos, a copy of my birth certificate, my mother’s favorite earrings and a pearl necklace my parents got me when I graduated from high school.” She looked over at him. “It’s all I have left of my family. That’s why I keep it so close. Now there’s a picture of us in there. Wilson took it when we were down on the beach in Miami.” Ducking her head, she wiped a tear away.  
They sat silently for several minutes.  
“So what did you have planned for today?” she asked him with a slight smile.  
“Food, sex, bathroom breaks, and then even more sex.”  
The way he said it, like he had it all planned out, made her laugh. “I see.”  
He leered at her. “Got a problem with that, Dr. Cameron?”  
She put her coffee on the side table and gently stroked his cheek. “Not at all.”  
He placed his hand on her leg and gently stroked her thigh. “You look hot in this.”  
“Yeah?” she grinned as his hand slid under the shirt.  
“Yeah. Of course you look better out of it but...this works too.”  
“I’m sure you’ll have me out of it in no time.”  
“You got that right. But first, coffee.”  
“Of course. Do you want breakfast?” she asked.  
House leered at her again. “ _You_ are breakfast.”  
Just as she was about to ask him what he meant, he was kissing her again so she kissed back, willing to go along with whatever he had in mind.   
“Lie back,” he ordered as he shoved the shirt up and began kissing his way across her flat stomach.   
She did as he asked, feeling somewhat apprehensive the lower he went. However once his head was down between her legs and his fingers were prying her apart, nothing else mattered. “Oh!” she gasped when his warm tongue flicked and lapped at her core. “Oh God!”   
He smiled to himself as he continued with his slow, sweet torture. He had to hold her hips to keep her from writhing under his ministrations, which only made her cry out more when she hit a very strong and explosive climax.  
As she lay there, her breathing still erratic, he slowly moved up her body, placing kisses along the way.  
She smiled up at him with a dreamy expression, which quickly turned into one of surprise when their bodies joined once again. He smiled down at her as he held her hands down against the pillow, their fingers interlacing.  
“So good,” she sighed, her eyes fluttering closed as House proceeded to make love to her. It was much slower and tender than the first time and it brought about emotions within her that she hadn’t expected. She felt absolutely loved and it overwhelmed her.  
When a single tear slid down her cheek, House paused and cocked his head to one side.   
“Allison...”  
It was the first time he’d called her that, and her eyes flipped open. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Please, don’t stop.”  
He took her word for it and kissed her, tasting the salty tears. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but she was responding to him so he continued, taking his time to kiss and caress her.  
When she hooked one of her legs around his hips, that was his cue to go faster, and deeper. He took her other leg and wrapped it around his other hip. Their rhythm picked up speed until they both cried out and collapsed in a tangle of arms and legs.  
“Just when I didn’t think it could possibly get better than last night,” she murmured as she rolled over onto her side.  
“It will only get better.”  
“I don’t know how it could get any better than that,” she sighed.  
He grinned at her. “Me neither, but I’m willing to find out.”  
Reaching out, he ran his hand down her back. She moved closer to him and he laid back against the pillows. When she rested her head on his shoulder, he put his arm around her.  
“I’ll have to go home at some point,” she reminded him. “I just don’t ever want to leave.”  
“So don’t.”  
She looked up at him. Their eyes met and he trailed his fingers down her arm. He could feel her nipples harden against his ribs.  
“You lived here before,” he told her. “You liked it before all the shit with Joe and his goons happened. Didn’t you?”  
He looked at her with doubt in his eyes.  
“Well, the couch wasn’t nearly as comfortable as your bed,” she teased lightly, “but I did love living with you. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.”  
“So, move back in.” He said it as if it was the most practical thing in the world.  
Cameron smiled. She loved this about him. He wasn’t sappy or overly romantic. She always knew where she stood with him even when he drove her crazy.  
“What about Lucy?” she questioned as she traced a pattern on his chest.  
“Lucy is _not_ moving in,” he responded drily.  
She pinched his nipple eliciting a squawk from him. She ran her tongue over it and he moaned softly.  
“I meant,” she continued, “that I can’t just up and move out. I need to give her time to find a new roommate.”  
“Oh, please,” he scoffed. “Wasn’t she living on her own before you moved in?”  
“Yes.”  
House pulled her over so she lay on top of him. She could feel his erection slip between her legs.  
“She’ll be fine,” he assured her as he pulled her down for a kiss.  
Rolling them both onto their sides, he lifted her leg so it rested on his hip and then thrust into her. Slowly, he made love to her, kissing her and running his hands over her warm skin. She responded by doing the same. It all felt so normal and so natural. When her orgasm spun through her, she clung to him and cried out. A moment later, he jerked against her and moaned her name. They drifted off to sleep, their bodies entwined and her head tucked beneath his chin.  
***  
Cameron moved in that weekend. They never married and they had their share of fights but they always came back to each other.  
When House retired, Cameron took over the Diagnostics department. She encouraged him to get his degree in physics. Once he did, he taught online classes in advanced string theory.  
When Cameron retired, they moved to The Maldives. They spent their remaining days reading books, walking on the beach and just enjoying themselves.  
When House died in his sleep, Cameron was heartbroken and died three days later.

 

**THE END**


End file.
